This exploratory study examined the beliefs of 82 experienced Marriage and Family Therapists regarding the treatment of marital infidelity. Participants were asked to read an on-line vignette and respond to a subsequent web based questionnaire by rating levels of hope, threat, forgiveness, and justification for a couple in regard to various affair scenarios. This study employed an experimental design using six groups to discover possible differences in responses across the dependent variables of hope, threat, forgiveness, and justification. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the six groups, which determined which vignette the participant read. The vignettes varied for each group by the type of affair (sexual, emotional, or combination), and the gender of the affair initiator. This study also looked at therapists' personal experience with affairs. Findings suggest an affair initiated by a woman was rated as more threatening to the marital relationship than an affair initiated by a man. Participants were also more likely to justify a woman's affair than a man's affair. While tentative, findings suggest that the type of affair and therapists' personal experience with affairs may be legitimate areas for further study within the context of infidelity research. / Master of Science

No description available.

The Internet is being used more and more frequently as a way for people to meet. The Internet also provides increased opportunities to initiate couple relationships, as well as affairs. The present study adds to the existing literature base in Internet infidelity treatment as well as therapist conceptualization processes. The present study investigated how family therapists assess and treat Internet infidelity. It assessed whether gender and other social background variables of therapists are operating in treatment decisions. Specifically, this study provided three clinical vignettes to 508 practicing marriage and family therapists and asked them several treatment and assessment questions about the cases while manipulating the gender of the clients in the vignettes. The questions asked of clinicians assess the clinician's prognosis of the case, the clinician's treatment strategy, how many sessions might be necessary, and how severe the clinician perceives the problem. Results include: a) treatment decisions of therapists regarding Internet infidelity cases b) information as to whether the assessment and treatment decisions vary according to the gender of the clients in Internet infidelity vignettes c) whether the treatment decisions vary depending on the clinician's social background characteristics (such as age, religiosity, gender). The results indicate that therapists who are more religious tended to view Internet infidelity as that which might require a greater individual focus. Age and gender of the clinicians also affected how therapists used treated cases, with younger clinicians more likely to alter environmental issues and female clinicians more likely to focus on couple processes in treatment. Further, clinicians also viewed men as more likely to be sex addicted, while women engaging in the same behavior were viewed as atypical for engaging in the same behavior. Clinicians also made differential decisions in treatment based on client needs, client gender, client health, and their personal theoretical orientation. This study sheds light on the role of specific identity variables in treatment decisions. It also provides a foundational knowledge of the treatment of Internet infidelity that will serve as a springboard for future projects to examine the effectiveness of different treatments, develop treatment protocols, and elevate the standard of care for this increasingly prevalent presenting problem. / Ph. D.

The current study explored coping strategies toward the context of discovering a partner's sexual infidelity. There were two primary goals for the current study. First, the current study examined the gender and national differences in conflict styles toward the context of discovering a partner's sexual infidelity. Second, the current study examined the relationship between face concerns and commitment. There were national and gender differences on self-construal face concern, face-concern and conflict styles in the current study. The current findings also suggested that face concern is moderating the relationship between commitment and conflict styles. The limitation and future directions were discussed as well as the clinical implications in the current study. / Ph. D.

Selon certains modèles évolutionnistes, les femmes seraient davantage affectées par l’infidélité émotionnelle de leur partenaire masculin que par son infidélité sexuelle. Les mécanismes psychologiques responsables auraient évolué pendant notre passé de chasseur-cueilleur de façon à assurer à la femme un accès exclusif aux ressources économiques provenant du partenaire. Or la situation économique des femmes d’aujourd’hui a considérablement changé depuis cette époque, plusieurs d’entre-elles étant indépendantes financièrement. Dans la présente recherche, nous testons l’hypothèse que les femmes qui sont indépendantes financièrement sont moins intensément, ou moins rapidement, jalouses que les femmes qui dépendent financièrement de leur partenaire. Nous cherchons aussi à savoir si le nombre d’enfants, ou certains traits de personnalité ont une influence sur la jalousie. L’échantillon était constitué d’une soixantaine de femmes et les données proviennent de questionnaires et de mises en situation fictives. Nos résultats ne supportent pas l’hypothèse principale, les divers sous-groupes de femmes étant jalouses à la même intensité. Nous considérons divers facteurs pouvant expliquer l’absence de différences, par exemple, la possibilité que certains aspects de la relation de couple puissent cacher l’effet de la situation économique des femmes. D’autres résultats montrent une différence significative dans l’intensité de la jalousie selon l’identité de la personne en relation avec le partenaire (ancienne versus nouvelle amie). Ces résultats sont aussi évalués dans une perspective évolutionniste. / Evolutionary models propose that women are more affected by emotional infidelity than by sexual infidelity. The associated psychological mechanisms would have evolved during the hunter-gatherer phase of our phylogenetic history and would be a response to a woman’s need to secure exclusive access to the economic resources provided by her mate. The economic situation of women has changed considerably since then, many women being financially independent. In the present study we test the hypothesis that financially independent women are less intensively jealous, or become less rapidly jealous, compared to women who rely financially on their husband. We also assess whether the number of children, or certain personality traits, affect jealousy. Our sample included 60 women and the data were obtained through questionnaires featuring fictional situations. Our results do not support the main hypothesis; the various subgroups of women were jealous at comparable levels. We discuss various factors that might account for these findings, including the possibility that other aspects of the relationship might have concealed the effect of a woman’s economic situation. We also found significant differences in the intensity of jealousy according to the identity of the husband’s fictional partner (old versus new girlfriend). These results are also discussed in an evolutionary perspective.

Le transcendantalisme est un mouvement religieux, philosophique, littéraire et social qui peut être envisagé comme le pendant américain du romantisme européen. Cette « nouvelle philosophie », pour reprendre l’expression des commentateurs de l’époque, a soulevé l’indignation de nombreux pasteurs et théologiens orthodoxes. Pourtant, la réaction contre le transcendantalisme n’a fait l’objet d’aucune étude systématique ou substantielle. Les historiens du mouvement s’étant essentiellement concentrés sur la description et l’analyse des idées transcendantalistes dans leur contexte théologique et intellectuel, les réactions indignées contre la nouvelle philosophie ont été reléguées au rang de faire-valoir et les argumentaires des quelques contempteurs connus du transcendantalisme ont souvent été tronqués ou simplifiés. Notre étude doit permettre de faire émerger, dans toute sa complexité, la critique conservatrice longtemps négligée par la recherche universitaire. Ce travail interroge également le rapport des idées théologiques et philosophiques propres au transcendantalisme avec leur contexte sociopolitique afin de mieux comprendre les peurs des conservateurs de tous bords qui voyaient dans la nouvelle philosophie une menace à la fois pour le christianisme mais aussi, plus généralement, pour l’ordre intellectuel et social établi. Le travail sur les déterminants de la controverse, axé sur les deux dénominations les plus actives durant la polémique, vise quant à lui, d’une part, à tracer les contours des mentalités des critiques du transcendantalisme et à expliquer les motivations les poussant à intervenir dans la polémique transcendantaliste. / Transcendentalism is a religious, philosophical, literary and social movement which can be viewed as the American counterpart of the European Romantic Movement. This “new philosophy”, to use the expression of the contemporary commentators, outraged many orthodox pastors and theologians. However, the reaction against transcendentalism has never really been the object of any substantial and systematic study. Indeed, historians of the movement have concentrated almost exclusively on the description and analysis of the transcendentalists’ ideas in their theological and intellectual context. Consequently, indignant reactions against the new philosophy have been used mainly as a counterpoint to the transcendentalists’ radical new ideas and the few known opponents of transcendentalism have been quoted only in their most intolerant and strident moments.This study puts the conservatives’ criticisms, which have long been neglected by academic research, center stage. It also questions the link between the transcendentalists’ theological and philosophical ideas and their sociopolitical context so as to better understand conservative fears that the new philosophy might be a threat not only to Christianity but, more generally, to the established intellectual and social order. As for the work on the determinants of the controversy, which is focused on the two denominations most active during the dispute, it aims at tracing the contours of the conservatives’ mentalities and at explaining the motivations driving them to participate in the transcendentalist controversy.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:38:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Ana Cristina Costa Figueiredo.pdf: 821603 bytes, checksum: 7b78919225430e5379784d86da503e29 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-11-22 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Infidelity refers to any form of romantic and/or sexual involvement, for a short or a long period, which occurs while the individual is in a relationship with another person. It has several impacts, especially regarding the losses about what was expected for self, partner and relationship. Marital infidelity can be understand as an ambiguous loss, since even with the presence of the unfaithful partner, he is not seen in the same way, and changes occur in his role within the family. Since it involves ambivalence, it can result in disfranchised grief, a risk factor for complicated grief. Therefore, the aim of this study was to understand the experience of women who faced the infidelity of their spouses, and identify the losses involved in this process. Case studies were conducted with four straight women who discovered the infidelity of spouse or it was revealed. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed qualitatively based on theories that refer to marital relationships and grief. With the analysis of the cases, it was possible to realize that marital infidelity actually result in multiple losses. However, it may have positive aspects such as creativity and maturity, propelling changes. It was noticeable that all participants, somehow, value romantic love. On the other hand, historical influences regarding the naturalization of male sexual behavior are present in their speech. The inherent risks of disfranchised and self-disfranchised grief were confirmed, which may difficult the integration process of elaboration. The understanding of marital infidelity as ambiguous loss and disfranchised grief can help to validate this experience socially and intrapsychically, contributing to build a society that recognizes the mourning in its different manifestations. The results reaffirm the losses involved in the experience of women in the face of marital infidelity, and suggest the need for new empirical studies related to this subject / A infidelidade refere-se a qualquer forma de envolvimento romântico e/ou sexual, de curto ou longo período, que ocorre enquanto o indivíduo está em um relacionamento com outra pessoa. Seus impactos são diversos, especialmente no que se refere às perdas do que se esperava para si, o parceiro e o relacionamento. Pode-se compreender a infidelidade conjugal como uma perda ambígua, dado que mesmo com a presença do parceiro infiel, este não é visto da mesma maneira, ocorrendo mudanças em seu papel na família. Por envolver ambivalência, pode gerar luto não reconhecido, um fator de risco para o luto complicado. Diante disso, o objetivo do presente foi compreender a experiência de mulheres que vivenciaram a infidelidade de seus cônjuges e identificar as perdas envolvidas nesse processo. Foram realizados estudos de caso com quatro mulheres heterossexuais que tenham descoberto ou tenha sido revelada a infidelidade do cônjuge. As informações foram coletadas por meio de entrevistas semiestruturadas e analisadas qualitativamente com base nas teorias que se referem a relacionamento conjugal e luto. Com a análise dos casos, foi possível perceber que a infidelidade conjugal realmente acarreta perdas múltiplas. Todavia, pode apresentar aspectos positivos, como criatividade e amadurecimento, sendo propulsora de mudanças. Foi perceptível que todas as participantes, de alguma forma, valorizam o amor romântico. Por outro lado, influências históricas no que se refere à naturalização do comportamento sexual masculino estão presentes em seus discursos. Foram confirmados os riscos inerentes ao não reconhecimento social ou intrapsíquico das perdas, o que pode dificultar o processo integrativo de elaboração. A compreensão da infidelidade conjugal como perda ambígua e luto não reconhecido pode auxiliar na validação social e intrapsíquica dessa vivência, contribuindo para a construção de uma sociedade que reconhece o luto em suas diferentes manifestações. Os resultados reafirmam as perdas envolvidas na vivência de mulheres diante da infidelidade conjugal e sugerem a necessidade de novos estudos empíricos referentes a esta temática

Selon certains modèles évolutionnistes, les femmes seraient davantage affectées par l’infidélité émotionnelle de leur partenaire masculin que par son infidélité sexuelle. Les mécanismes psychologiques responsables auraient évolué pendant notre passé de chasseur-cueilleur de façon à assurer à la femme un accès exclusif aux ressources économiques provenant du partenaire. Or la situation économique des femmes d’aujourd’hui a considérablement changé depuis cette époque, plusieurs d’entre-elles étant indépendantes financièrement. Dans la présente recherche, nous testons l’hypothèse que les femmes qui sont indépendantes financièrement sont moins intensément, ou moins rapidement, jalouses que les femmes qui dépendent financièrement de leur partenaire. Nous cherchons aussi à savoir si le nombre d’enfants, ou certains traits de personnalité ont une influence sur la jalousie. L’échantillon était constitué d’une soixantaine de femmes et les données proviennent de questionnaires et de mises en situation fictives. Nos résultats ne supportent pas l’hypothèse principale, les divers sous-groupes de femmes étant jalouses à la même intensité. Nous considérons divers facteurs pouvant expliquer l’absence de différences, par exemple, la possibilité que certains aspects de la relation de couple puissent cacher l’effet de la situation économique des femmes. D’autres résultats montrent une différence significative dans l’intensité de la jalousie selon l’identité de la personne en relation avec le partenaire (ancienne versus nouvelle amie). Ces résultats sont aussi évalués dans une perspective évolutionniste. / Evolutionary models propose that women are more affected by emotional infidelity than by sexual infidelity. The associated psychological mechanisms would have evolved during the hunter-gatherer phase of our phylogenetic history and would be a response to a woman’s need to secure exclusive access to the economic resources provided by her mate. The economic situation of women has changed considerably since then, many women being financially independent. In the present study we test the hypothesis that financially independent women are less intensively jealous, or become less rapidly jealous, compared to women who rely financially on their husband. We also assess whether the number of children, or certain personality traits, affect jealousy. Our sample included 60 women and the data were obtained through questionnaires featuring fictional situations. Our results do not support the main hypothesis; the various subgroups of women were jealous at comparable levels. We discuss various factors that might account for these findings, including the possibility that other aspects of the relationship might have concealed the effect of a woman’s economic situation. We also found significant differences in the intensity of jealousy according to the identity of the husband’s fictional partner (old versus new girlfriend). These results are also discussed in an evolutionary perspective.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have important consequences for individuals and society. Extensive literature has shown that various individual factors impact STIs. However, much less is known about their structural causes and how they affect sexual behavior and sexual network formation. In the first two chapters of this dissertation, I investigate how sex ratios and ethnic divisions affect sexual activity and the spread of STIs. In the third chapter, I analyze the effect of ethnic-based romantic homophily on STIs. I provide a brief description of each chapter below. Chapter 1. We extend a theory of fidelity in a two-sided economy, and empirically discriminate between different rationales of sexual network formation by testing their implications for how sex ratios affect sexual activity, relationship stability, and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases in men versus women. We use a unique individual-level dataset in combination with census data from England and Wales, a setting where adult women outnumber adult men. Exploiting variation in cohort/ethnicity/region-specific sex ratios as a quasi-natural experiment, we find that a decrease in sex ratio imbalance decreases sexual infidelity and the number of serial partners, and increases the likelihood of safe sex. This in turn reduces the likelihood of acquiring a range of sexually transmitted infections and diseases, including chlamydia, gonorrhoea, genital warts, and herpes. Consistent with the rationale underlying the formation of egalitarian (in)fidelity networks, the effects of the sex ratio on sexual activity are larger for men compared to women, while its effects on sexual diseases are larger for women compared to men. The causality of these effects is established using classical and recent instrumental variables approaches and various robustness checks. For falsification, we show that sex ratios have no impact on several "atheoretical" health conditions, such as Parkinson's disease, chronic lung disease, heart attack, stroke, and diabetes, which do not arise from sexual interactions. Chapter 2. In societies organized around distinct racial and ethnic groups, limited communication between these groups might increase the search cost of sexual partners outside of own group, leading to racially segregated sexual networks and low risks of sexually transmitted diseases. At the same time, because sexual infidelity is more likely to be discovered when the cheated-upon individuals are co-ethnics, individuals in multiracial societies might find it cheaper to select sexual partners from diverse ethnic groups to hide their infidelity, which would lead to large interethnic sexual networks and high risks of STIs. We test these conflicting hypotheses by analyzing the causal effect of neighborhood-level racial diversity on sexual activity and STIs, using unique individual-level data from England, Wales, and Scotland. We find that individuals residing in multiracial neighborhoods have a greater number of sexual partners and are more likely to be infected with a wide range of STIs than their counterparts residing in more racially homogeneous neighborhoods. We use traditional and new instrumental variables approaches and various robustness checks to establish causation. Analyzing mechanisms, we find that within racially diverse neighborhoods, individuals who select sexual partners from diverse racial groups are more likely to be infected with STIs, holding the number of partners and other individual characteristics fixed. For falsification, we conduct a reverse-placebo test showing that racial diversity has no effect on a wide range of health conditions that do not arise from sexual interactions. From a policy perspective, our analysis implies that policies that promote racial and ethnic integration are likely to reduce unhealthy sexual activity and the spread of STIs in racially heterogeneous societies. Chapter 3. A classical hypothesis in social network theory holds that central individuals are more likely to receive and spread information than are their peripheral counterparts. We test this hypothesis in the context of sexual networks and sexually transmitted diseases, using data from the United Kingdom. Romantic homophily - the tendency to select sexual partners with similar ethnic background - is used as a measure of the extent to which an individual is peripheral in a sexual network. We find that more sexually homophilous individuals have a lower risk of sexual infections. This effect is causal, and larger for women, Whites, and heterosexuals.

[pt] Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo geral investigar a vivência de homens e mulheres em casamentos concebidos como monogâmicos, no sentido da exclusividade sexual. Foi realizada uma pesquisa de natureza qualitativa, na qual foram entrevistados cinco homens e cinco mulheres cisgênero, casados ou em coabitação, em relação heteroafetiva e sem filhos. Para análise dos resultados, foi utilizado o método de análise de conteúdo em sua vertente categorial-temática. Com base na análise dos dados coletados, emergiram cinco categorias principais e uma subcategoria. São elas: Pilares da conjugalidade; Sexo no casamento; Exclusividade sexual na conjugalidade; Infidelidade conjugal: quando a exclusividade é rompida; e Concepções sobre relações não-monogâmicas consensuais. A categoria Exclusividade sexual na conjugalidade foi desdobrada na subcategoria Dissociação entre sexo e afetos. Os resultados apontam que o acordo de exclusividade sexual está relacionado à busca de segurança emocional e de estabilidade conjugal, sendo a exclusividade afetiva mais valorizada do que a sexual. Insatisfação no casamento e desejo de realizar fantasias sexuais foram apontados como principais fatores preditores de infidelidade conjugal, a qual foi definida como ruptura do que foi acordado entre os membros do casal. As relações não-monogâmicas, que não exigem exclusividade de modo consensual, são pouco conhecidas e consideradas complexas pelos entrevistados. Conclui-se que o acordo de exclusividade sexual é assumido implicitamente e raramente abordado pelos cônjuges. / [en] This research aimed to investigate the experience of men and women in marriages conceived as monogamous, in the sense of sexual exclusivity. A qualitative research was carried out, in which five men and five women were interviewed, married or in cohabitation, in a hetero-affective relationship and without children. To analyze the results, the content analysis method was used in its categorical-thematic aspect. Based on the analysis of the data collected, five main categories and one subcategory emerged. They are: Pillars of conjugality; Sex in marriage; Sexual exclusivity in conjugality; Marital infidelity: when exclusivity is broken; and Conceptions about non monogamous consensual relationships. The category Sexual exclusivity in conjugality was divided into the subcategory Dissociation between sex and affections. The results indicate that the sexual exclusivity agreement is related to the search for emotional security and marital stability, with affective exclusivity being more valued than sexual exclusivity. Dissatisfaction in marriage and the desire to fulfill sexual fantasies were identified as the main predictors of marital infidelity, which was defined as a breach of what was agreed between the members of the couple. Non-monogamous relationships, which do not require exclusivity in a consensual way, are unfamiliar and considered complex by the interviewees. It is concluded that the sexual exclusivity agreement is implicitly assumed and rarely discussed by the spouses.