ABSTRACT
How is it that two couples can experience infidelity in such different ways? Why is that infidelity led to relationship dissolution for Tom and Diane, whereas Rick and Nancy were able to reconcile and move forward? Admittedly, Nancy’s fleeting indiscretion seems more minor than Tom’s 4-month affair, but there may also be other factors at play. Dating couples are perceived as being more likely to separate after infidelity than are married couples (Roscoe, Cavanaugh, & Kennedy, 1988). In addition, couples are more likely to break up when infidelity is discovered “red-handed” as in the case of Tom and Diane than when it is voluntarily disclosed as it was by Nancy (Afifi, Falato, & Weiner, 2001). In light of these data, the differential effect of infidelity on these two couples seems obvious. However, the picture is not so simple, as there
is also evidence to suggest that Rick and Nancy may have been more likely to separate than Tom and Diane. Men are less likely to forgive and more likely to break up with a sexually unfaithful partner than an emotionally unfaithful partner (Hall & Fincham, 2004; Shackelford, Buss, & Bennett, 2002). There is also a higher risk of relationship dissolution when both spouses have been unfaithful than there is when only one spouse has had an affair (Glass, 2003). Thus, it is evident that the impact of infidelity on a romantic relationship can be quite complex and multidimensional.
