As someone who makes a living giving relationship
advice, I know that adultery is widespread in our
culture. In fact, one study conducted by the
University of Hawaii indicated that 60-70% of victims
of infidelity are women. The stereotypical myths
associated with such behavior include a middle-class
husband purchasing a sports car and fooling around
with the secretary, who is often a young blonde with
whom he works closely. The unsuspecting wife, busy
with care-taking and driving the kids to soccer games,
is devastated by the discovery. At this point, the
husband justifies his actions: It's the frequent
business trips, working late into the night, and the
fact that the new woman doesn't "nag" him. Therefore,
it was bound to happen, right? Wrong.
The reality is
that infidelity is most often a symptom of internal
conflict within the cheating spouse which has little
to with non-cheating partner. In fact, my experience
as a couples and marriage therapist indicates that
cheating husbands are most often running away from
themselves.
Sadly, while the cheating husband may appear to be
enjoying himself, by not facing his problems he is
condemning himself to repeating them. In short, he's
emotionally stuck. How do I know this? They tell me!
Take this following example: The husband didn't
wake up one morning and suddenly choose to commit
adultery. Rather the husband, doubting his self-worth
and possibly tired of routine married life, becomes
flattered by the attention of another, often younger,
woman. Not only is the appeal of something new very
exciting, but this new woman tends to have a
“sympathetic ear” that he thinks his wife lacks. As a
result, he often takes the path of least resistance
and finds it easier to be with this more “fun” or
“understanding” woman. Eventually, he may get divorced
and even marry the new woman. Then, after a year or
two, he begins to feel similarly negative about his
new relationship. At which point, he begins to realize
that his current relationship is not much different
than his previous relationship.