Infidelity is a common cause of marital stress and can contribute to the decision to end a marriage through divorce. Of course, affairs do not always involve secret meetings in hotel rooms or even any physical contact at all. Emotional affairs, meaning infidelity without a sexual or physical component, can develop when married spouses form close, intimate relationships with others outside of their marriage. It can be extremely difficult to determine when a friendship becomes an emotional affair. It is up to every married couple to make their own boundaries and decisions regarding what behavior constitutes infidelity. That being said, emotional infidelity often escalates into a full-blown affair. Many marriages have met “the beginning of the end” due to emotional affairs.
Deceit is Often the First Sign of an Emotional Affair
With the proliferation of social networking websites like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter it is easier than ever to connect with others. Twenty years ago, when high school sweethearts split up, they would generally only meet again if they happened to stay in their hometown. Today, most of us stay in constant digital connection with friends and ex-lovers from our past. It can be hard to know when a friendship becomes too friendly for a married person. One telltale sign that a relationship is bordering on an affair is when a spouse starts to hide information about the relationship from his or her spouse. If your significant other has a relationship with a person whom they are very secretive about, this could be a red flag that an emotional affair is evolving.
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