Are extramarital affairs good or bad?
The most common question asked about extramarital affairs are whether these activities are good or bad, and the answer to this question depends on many different factors. Some affairs can cause a marriage to become stronger, with better communication and an improved relationship. Other affairs may cause the marriage to disintegrate and fall apart, resulting in divorce and possibly bitter fights over custody and property in some cases. An affair can be sexual or it can be emotional, and this factor can also make a difference in whether the results are good or bad. If an affair is a sign that there are problems at home then the discovery of this action may lead to the home problems being discussed and resolved.
Extramarital affairs can be very damaging emotionally, even if the end result is a stronger marriage and better relationship between the spouses. Some individuals may take pains to be discovered, in the hopes that an unhappy marriage will either end or get better as a result, while others go to great lengths to keep their activity a secret and prevent their spouse from finding out. Discretion is a key to preventing any emotional pain, and individuals who have affairs and are not discrete will usually get caught. Sometimes an extramarital affair can fill a need that the individual has, one that either is not or can not be met by their spouse. Good or bad really can not be used to describe affairs, because every affair has different factors and circumstances involved.
Affairs come in two main types, physical and emotional. When it comes to damage done to the marriage an emotional affair is worse. In many cases when the emotional attachment becomes strong over the course of these affairs then the other person may pose a threat to the marriage itself. In some cases the person having the extramarital affair may stop feeling love and affection towards their spouse. This usually leads to divorce, often so that the spouse having the affair can be open and spend all their time in the other relationship.
A physical affair which is purely sexual in nature is often the more desirable of the two affair types for the spouse not in an affair. A physical attraction or one time fling is often forgiven much more easily, and is viewed as less of a betrayal, especially by women. Some individuals have sex with many different people because they enjoy a challenge, or are addicted to sex. In some cases these affairs can result in an incompatibility in sex drives between spouses, and this affair provides needed physical relief. An extramarital affair does not necessarily mean the end of a marriage if this information is discovered, if both spouses are willing to work on any issues and conflicts in the marriage. In some cases an affair can have benefits for the spouse in the dark. The spouse having the affair may be extra attentive out of guilt or a sense of shame, and unless the affair is found out then no harm has been done in these cases.
Filed under: Advice
