Extra Marital Affairs: Could They Happen To Me?

Taylor had never anticipated she would become a statistic in extra marital affairs. Married for only five years, independent, professionally successful and in love with her partner, she found herself flirting with a colleague who worked in the same office with her. At first it was just a friendship, with lunches, e-mails and text messages when not together, all “strictly about work.” Then the content of these conversations became more personal and intimate and, before she realized it, she started to create excuses to see this colleague. When not together she fantasized about being together, when the relationship shifted from friendship to romance, Taylor was ready for it.

We all know someone like Taylor with direct experience with extramarital affairs, or had one ourselves, or our partner has. About 55% of all married women and 65% of all married men had an affair or more while in a committed relationship. Wow! This is an impressive number of people, coming cutting across different economic, social and educational backgrounds, and ranging from teenagers to senior citizens.

How do we know we are at risk? There are many factors that contribute to having an affair, including emotional and physical dissatisfaction and boredom in the current relationship, leading to lack of attention and excitement; increased exposure to people whom we regard as attractive; more lax societal attitudes about sex; easy access to the Internet, with its chat rooms and other social and romantic sites; a history of impulsive behaviors. Certain occupations are more likely to create opportunities for affairs, as celebrities know. Gender is also a factor, as men tend to have more affairs than women, though women are catching up.

If you are interested in knowing more about affairs, including their consequences, please visit my blog site at http://droherpsychotherapy.com/blog/ and download my free ebook entitled…Love and Infidelity: All You Ever Wanted To Know About Affairs