Four Types of Cheating

    We know that once married you are committed to each other. In any relationship there are bound to be bumps and issues, some bigger than others. One of the things that we hope in a relationship is that your partner won't cheat. Especially in marriage! Cheating can ruin a relationship immensely and often ends in divorce. This is your partner for life and they decide to go to someone else for satisfaction or comfort and it hurts vastly. There are four types of cheating that you should know about so you can help look for signs of cheating if you suspect your partner is cheating or just to know so you can avoid certain situations.

    The first one is called a fantasy affair. This is a type of emotional affair. It is having an emotional attachment with a person (other than your spouse). Examples of this would be flirting with people online. Even if one never actually meets the receiver in person they are still affecting their marriage negatively. Having the emotional desire to seek out other people other than your spouse affects a person's commitment in the marriage. Other examples include imagining relations (commonly sexual) with fictional characters whether it be books, movies, celebrities etc. Cheating first begins with a thought or a want and the fantasy affair opens this gateway and can often lead to more. Don't be emotionally unfaithful in your marriage. It is better to be present and open and rely on your partner because they are there for you. 

    The next type of affair is visual affair, or pornography. This is a very common type of infidelity (being unfaithful to a partner). This is a type of physical affair because the person is physically seeking out these types of images. Again, this can come from a desire to be with others other than one's spouse. It is a huge gateway to cheating in other ways as well. Don't seek comfort through images, it is addictive and causes many problems in relationships especially.

    A romantic affair is the next type of infidelity. This is when a person is emotionally attached and involved to another person besides their spouse. This can happen because one seeks out something that seems more interesting than their own marriage or life instead of talking with your spouse about how you are feeling. A romantic affair seems like an escape to everyday life. However good it might feel at the moment it is hurting your marriage constantly and will never be the same. Unlike a fantasy affair a romantic affair is with someone you probably see commonly most likely outside of your partner's knowledge. Even though there is no physical action taken on this type of affair it is still cheating on your partner. 

    This brings us to the last type of affair, sexual affair. This is when one partakes of sexual interactions with someone other than one's spouse whether they are emotionally attached to the person or not. This one can sometimes be the easiest to identify in a relationship. However, often times a partner has already partaken in one of the previous affairs before committing a sexual affair. In most cases there is no coming back from this type of affair. Their relationship with their spouse will never be the same.

    Think about some experiences you might have heard of or even happened to you or your partner where these types of affairs were present. How has this affected those people's relationship? How does this differ to what you want in a relationship? Ideally you will marry someone faithful and open when talking to you so that all these types of affairs will be avoided. Communication is key and will help your marriage now but also your marriage in the future as the two of you grow closer and depend more on each other.