بررسی تجارب خیانت شریک: چه کسی "مرد/زن دیگری " است؟

Little research has explored infidelity relationships from the perspective of the infidelity partner (i.e. the other man/woman to an exclusive romantic relationship) or explored the personality profiles of these individuals. Participants (n = 180) completed an online survey. Our findings indicate that most infidelity partners initially do not know they are engaging in infidelity but less than half ended the relationship upon learning of the infidelity. Low agreeableness appears to be a core trait to help explain why some individuals are willing to be an infidelity partner and conceal the transgression. Individuals higher on anxious attachment and an unrestricted sociosexual orientation appear to be more likely to be infidelity partners, although this finding must be cautiously interpreted. As a third party is necessary to engage in infidelity, knowing more about the infidelity partner is essential to furthering the infidelity literature.

Infidelity is common among dating relationships as 49% of male college students and 31% of female college students have engaged in sexual infidelity (Wiederman & Hurd, 1999), and 22–25% of married men and 11–15% of married women having engaged in sexual infidelity (Allen et al., 2005). Researchers have amassed a broad and informative literature about the nature of infidelity, experiences of the infidelity victim, and qualities of the transgressor. One glaring gap in the infidelity literature is that there is virtually no research conducted from the perspective of the infidelity partner. We define the infidelity partner as the individual who is the third party to a primary romantic relationship (i.e. the individual with whom a person in a committed, monogamous relationship is cheating with, commonly referred to as the other man or the other woman). In television shows and movies we see infidelity partners’ varied experiences and the internet is awash with personal stories from individuals who either knowingly or unknowingly were an infidelity partner. Yet in the vast infidelity literature, little attention is paid to the infidelity partner. The current paper aims to describe infidelity relationships from the perspective of the infidelity partner as well as explore the personality profiles of individuals who find themselves in the role of infidelity partner.

The current results suggest that many individuals find themselves as infidelity partners although most are not aware they are engaging in infidelity initially. Overall, the current project highlights that individuals low on agreeableness, and personality traits associated with this construct, are most likely to knowingly be an infidelity partner and keep these transgressions hidden. Future work should continue to explore the role of agreeableness and examine how individuals view the benefits and costs associated with being an infidelity partner. Attachment theory may also provide useful insights into the personality profiles of infidelity partners as insecurely attached individuals appear more likely to be infidelity partners. The current paper is an important first step in understanding infidelity partner experiences. Additional work is warranted to understand who these infidelity partners are and why they enter into and stay in these relationships. Knowing more information about infidelity partners will bring further insights to the broader infidelity literature as a third party is always needed for an infidelity to occur.