Emotional Infidelity – What It Is and What To Do About It!
Emotional infidelity is often the first step to a partner cheating. Some people consider it cheating in it’s own right – it has been used in divorce proceedings in the US. A relationship is more than just physical fidelity. It is about the bond two people have, that they forge together over time.
The emotional connection is a deep and integral part of a relationship, which is what makes emotional infidelity so devastating. The true bond in a relationship goes far beyond just physical fidelity; it’s a large part of what makes a relationship a relationship. A relationship is about sharing your thoughts, feeling and soul with another.
When your significant other begins to form those emotional and mental bonds with someone outside the marriage, this is what is called emotional infidelity. It nearly always means there is a withdrawing from the first relationship.
Whereas before, you were your significant other’s best friend, you knew their secrets, their little quirks – now you feel like you are just an acquaintance in your relationship. This cold-shoulder treatment is horrible, very hard to deal with, and hard to watch happening. You often feel like it is you who is doing something wrong, that you are the one with the problem.
At the same time, emotional infidelity involves the other person forming bonds with another person outside the marriage. One of the terrible things about emotional infidelity is that it can be difficult to define and identify. Because there is nothing as obvious as sleeping with another person going on, saying for certain that it is going on is trickier to prove.
However, there is one big sign – and that is a sexual chemistry between two people, with flirting and teasing going on. It will seem very innocent because of course, there is nothing physical going on, but emotional infidelity will mean that the person behaves in a different way.
If you do suspect emotional infidelity, you need to keep some things in mind. Many people have close friends, best buddies if they are a man, and girlfriends if they are a woman. Some people have friends of the opposite sex, and they may confide in them frequently.
None of that is necessarily emotional infidelity. With emotional infidelity, the one huge sign is guilt. The red flag that someone is becoming involved with another person emotionally is when they start to try and hide what is going on. No-one who is innocently chatting with a friend needs to hide what is going on from their significant other. When they are hiding something you can safely assume that there is something to hide.
Emotional infidelity is a problem in and of itself, but it tends to be one of the early signs of a relationship going bad. The next step is usually physical infidelity, and this is almost always preceded by emotional infidelity. If you can recognize and do something about emotional infidelity, you may have an easier time than if you catch it at a later stage.
The two big signs are emotional disengagement and secretive behavior. If your significant other is pulling away from you, becoming distant or hostile, this is a big sign. Likewise, if they are acting suspiciously, hiding phone calls and emails, avoiding questions and just generally acting like they have a secret, this is a sign.
You need to catch emotional infidelity in its early stages an fix it. This can be tough to do, but if you suspect emotional infidelity in your relationship, then you need to seek out and advice and instruction on how to fix your relationship.
