Archives for July 2012

Extramarital Affairs: Not Always Due to Sexual Unsatisfaction

Whenever a person finds out that their partner is cheating on them, or was once involved in an extramarital affair, more often than not, the things you imagine are worse than what actually happened, especially when it comes to their sexual encounters.

Take this case of extramarital affairs, for example, where a woman began an affair with someone who was 15 years younger than her. She described how she felt during the affair, saying that she didn’t feel like herself and that she was actually truly traumatized from it. She talked about how difficult it was for her lover to get an erection, and when they were finally able to have sex, that it was not good at all. In fact, it made her feel worse about herself.

What you have to keep in mind, though, is that what you imagined they had done during the extramarital affair is not necessarily the truth. And that in most cases, it is actually the opposite.

This is a problem that most victims of infidelity encounter – believing that the affair occurred because of a lack of sexual satisfaction in the marriage, and that it is the other person who started the seduction. This is not the case for everyone who has gone through or is going through an extramarital affair. Reasons for engaging in extramarital affairs actually go deeper than just a lack of sexual satisfaction in the relationship most of the time.

Usually, people cheat for personal reasons that have nothing to do with problems regarding their partners or relationships. They are usually problems that go back even before the relationship, and your partner probably had not been able to cope with it properly. Extramarital affairs are never as simple as a bad sex life, and the only way you can get to the bottom of it is if you explore each others’ needs together.

Dealing with Conflict in the Marriage: Confronting vs. Attacking Your Partner

People in marriages usually keep themselves from really getting into the issues they are dealing with, mostly because they are afraid of causing conflict in the marriage.

It a common misunderstanding that when it comes to relationships, being with the “right” person means that everything else in the relationship will go smoothly and be “right,” which is not necessarily true. All relationships will have its ups and downs and will need both parties to work hard to keep it going. They are never easy. And most of the time, the reason why a lot of people keep moving on from one person to the next is to look for that easy relationship because they are too lazy to work through the conflict in the marriage for a lasting one.

We all grow up dealing with our problems and troubles and conflicts in our own way, but being in a relationship with someone means that we can no longer do things our way. Being in a marriage means that we have to consider our partners in every situation, in every decision, and we have to learn to work with them through everything, especially the conflict in the marriage, together. This is going to be difficult at first, and most of us would tend to just be quiet and not bring any of the issues we are dealing with up. But do not be afraid to open up to your partner.

What you should realize is that the problems and conflict in the marriage won’t just bring in negative results. They can actually be the push you need to be a better husband or wife to your spouse. They can also help your relationship become stronger. But there is good conflict in the marriage and bad conflict, and only good conflict will bring enlightenment in your marriage.

Just remember that confronting your partner with you issues is different from attacking him or her with them. Don’t be afraid that your partner won’t listen to you and not understand what you are saying. Communicate with your partner and calmly let him or her know what your issues are. Trusting that your partner will hear you out and not create a negative twist on the conflict in the marriage, will develop his or her trust in you in return, and will only make your marriage better and stronger.

The Other Person: Not to Blame for the Affair?

Finding out about your partner’s affair is difficult, and usually, you start thinking about the other person and what it is that he or she has that made your partner cheat.

Maybe you feel that hearing about the other person will help you understand your partner’s actions, and maybe you even expect to hear about how he or she was tempted and seduced by this person. But what you have to understand is that the affair wasn’t caused by the third person, at least not by himself.

Your partner’s infidelity most probably happened due an issue that he or she is dealing with personally – it may be even something he or she has been dealing with before you got married – and the affair was a way to escape reality along with all the problems and issues that are a part of it.

The affair relationship was based on the idea that the other person represents a sort of freedom from all the responsibilities and obligations your partner has in your relationship, and that is where the attraction stems from.

Letting go of the thought that the other person is the cause of all your marital problems will be a big step in fixing and saving your marriage.

You have to keep in mind that if your partner didn’t have an affair with this particular person, then someone else might have been in the picture as the other person and you would still have been in the same position.