Emotional infidelity is a stealthy form of cheating that might catch even the cheater by surprise. It typically begins with a friendship, and if your partner isn’t careful, it can turn into something more.
Most people don’t enter into a relationship with the intention of cheating. Sometimes it is a conscious decision they make, but when it comes to emotional infidelity, your partner might be in over their head before they realize what is happening to them.
The bond between “just friends” grows and grows until that person becomes more important than their partner, and that’s when emotional infidelity begins.
Emotional infidelity is facilitated by the internet. You’ve heard of people who “fell in love” over the internet. Did you believe their stories? The anonymity of the internet allows people to share their deepest, darkest secrets with someone else, without the mess entanglements of a physical affair.
But gradually, the need for that online companionship can grow stronger. They start to wonder about the person they are chatting with, and they begin to learn more about them. They start to move from a “virtual” relationship to a “real world” one – one that involves emotional investment. They might even make the leap to phone calls and relish the sound of the other person’s voice.
This is emotional infidelity in the making. If your partner feels it necessary to lie about their internet activity, or holds a virtual friend a little too close to their heart, it’s cause for concern. The deeper they fall into their online world, the more they separate from their “real life” emotional partner.
You are the one who feels the brunt of their rejection!
Some signs of emotional infidelity include the following:
Your partner spends more and more time on the internet, and keeps those activities as secret as possible.
Your partner spends more time with their “friend” than they do with you.
They spend time with someone else, but neglect to tell you about it.
When you ask about their activities with someone else, they get defensive and point out: “We aren’t having an affair. I’ve never touched them! How could it be an affair?”
That is the easiest way that an emotional infidelity is allowed to continue. Stop it in its tracks by pointing out that infidelity is not just physical! You can have an affair with someone you have never even met in the flesh.
Knowing the signs, and being ready to confront your partner about their emotional affair, can nip it all in the bud.