The Relationship Between the Motivation to Commit Infidelity and Negative Affect and Self-Esteem: How Cheating in Romance Might Signal Positive Well-Being in Adolescents

Abstract

Infidelity occurs in adult romantic relationships quite often; however, little is known about this relational phenomenon in the adolescent stage, despite its being a surprisingly common behavior. Through a correlational study, we set out to examine how the various documented motivations to engage in an act of infidelity are associated with negative emotional responses, self-esteem, and psychological well-being. In a sample of Spanish adolescents ( N = 346 [ Mage = 15.71, SD = 1.27; range from 13 to 19]), results showed that committing an act of infidelity due to sexual or emotional dissatisfaction (vs. neglect and anger) is related to higher levels of psychological well-being by undermining negative affect, thereby increasing the levels of self-esteem. The discussion of the findings emphasizes that infidelity could favor adolescents’ personal growth, because of the need to explore new sensations and feelings that arise during this period.

Estranged and Unhappy? Examining the Dynamics of Personal and Relationship Well-Being Surrounding Infidelity

“…Potentially, women's affairs are more likely to be a result of partner dissatisfaction, and consequently, the affair may be a wake-up call for their partners, leading to positive behavioral change. These findings add to the small literature exploring the conditions in which infidelity might have positive consequences (Beltrán-Morillas et al, 2020;Thompson et al, 2021). Finally, the inclusion of actor and partner outcomes in both victim and perpetrator samples resulted in several potentially interesting observations.…”

“…2005), and prior research has shown that acts of infidelity committed because of relationship problems can lead to positive psychological outcomes (Beltrán-Morillas et al, 2020). Potentially, women's affairs are more likely to be a result of partner dissatisfaction, and consequently, the affair may be a wake-up call for their partners, leading to positive behavioral change.…”

“…Interestingly, our exploratory analyses detected one more group of participants who seem to recover and even thrive after infidelity, other than individuals with low relationship commitment: unfaithful women. Women (vs. men) are more likely to mention relationship dissatisfaction as a reason for their affair (Barta & Kiene, 2005), and prior research has shown that acts of infidelity committed because of relationship problems can lead to positive psychological outcomes (Beltrán-Morillas et al, 2020). Potentially, women’s affairs are more likely to be a result of partner dissatisfaction, and consequently, the affair may be a wake-up call for their partners, leading to positive behavioral change.…”

Cyberbullying on Instagram: How adolescents perceive risk in personal selfies?

“…1 According to the World Health Organization, the period of adolescence ends at age 19. Moreover, recent studies have followed this standard (e.g., Beltrán-Morillas et al, 2020;Villanueva-Moya et al, 2023).…”

The Infidelity Scale: Psychometric properties and gender invariance among Portuguese adults

“…Several studies (e.g., Barta & Kiene, 2005; Beltrán-Morillas, 2022) concluded that infidelity can arise for different motives, including frustration, the need for affection and love, dissatisfaction with the primary relationship, neglect, anger (Barta & Kiene, 2005), and to increase self-esteem (Beltrán-Morillas, 2022). The inability to satisfy sexual and emotional needs, the desire for additional sexual encounters, low emotional satisfaction, the desire for additional emotional connection, and a person's desire to take revenge on their partner have been cited as reasons for infidelity (Omarzu et al, 2012).…”