Modern Views on Infidelity

In terms of romantic relationships, infidelity can be defined as a violation of agreed-upon relationship-specific norms with a secondary person, unbeknownst to the primary partner to whom one has established a commitment. In a 2013 survey, over 90% of Americans reported that infidelity is morally wrong, and nearly 70% reported that it is an unforgivable transgression. Despite this, research suggests that infidelity occurs in roughly one-fourth of marriages, and rates of infidelity are believed to be even higher among dating couples. Thus, nearly one decade later, the current study seeks to update the literature by investigating this discrepancy between people’s attitudes and behaviors. Specifically, this research will address gaps in the literature related to the lack of data collection involving (a) single individuals’ perceptions of infidelity, (b) external influences on perceptions of infidelity, and (c) communication strategies regarding infidelity. First, I collected qualitative data from four college students using in-depth, semi-structured interviews to assess their attitudes toward and expectations of infidelity in committed romantic relationships. Participants self-identified as cisgender, heterosexual, African-American females, and they each reported being single (i.e., not in a committed relationship) at the time of their participation. Next, I will be using the qualitative thematic analysis approach to code the interview transcripts and identify emerging themes within the data. Preliminary findings suggest that participants have contradictory views about infidelity – they report firm, unaccepting attitudes toward infidelity, yet offer examples of circumstances under which they would forgive their partner for violating their relationship. Additionally, they estimate that infidelity occurs in approximately one-third to two-thirds of all committed relationships. Preliminary findings also point to trust, religion, social status, and the media as common influences on peoples’ perceptions of infidelity, although further analysis is needed to confirm and expand upon these results