Research Reveals the Type of People Most Often Affected, Like What? Page all

KOMPAS.com – It feels like everyone agrees on that notion infidelity is the highest betrayal in a relationship.

There is a lot of research that reveals the ins and outs of infidelity. But this research is interesting to note further, namely research on those who are cheated.

Even though cheating is not the victim’s fault, understanding the potential factors about an affair is important, because infidelity endangers a relationship.

Thus, the more we study the factors, the greater the opportunity to minimize events and their impacts.

Professor and former Head of the Department of Psychology at Monmouth University, Dr. Gary W. Lewandowski Jr. wrote his analysis through the Psychology Today page, on a study conducted by Meghna Mahambrey of Ohio State University.

Also read: Impulsive people are easier to be tempted cheating

The study, published in 2020, sought to find out the answer to the question: “Who is cheated most often in a relationship?”.

Researchers focus on aspects of personality that make a person more susceptible to being a partner affair.

The study participants came from a large sample that was nationally representative with an analysis focusing on 1,577 participants.

A total of 898 of them were married, in middle or late adulthood, who were interviewed by telephone and self-report survey. Of all samples, 19 percent reported having cheated on the same pattern.

The researcher then collected information about personalities, by asking participants how exactly the different Big Five personalities described themselves:

• Openess (for example, like adventurous, curious, and intelligent).

• Conscientiousness (for example, responsibility, hard-working and organized).

• Extraversion (for example, friendly, sociable and talkative).

• Agreeableness (eg caring, gentle hearted, sympathetic).

• Neuroticism (for example, mood swings, nervousness and worry)

Researchers also recorded a series of life experiences and asked participants to match them, including whether “Couples are involved in marital infidelity.”

Research findings

Of course many things that contribute to infidelity in a relationship, not only related to personality.

Researchers also take into account factors such as age, education, gender, race / ethnicity, and religion.

Researchers statistically found that, of all the samples, those with less “conscientious” personalities, ie more careless, less hardworking and less organized, tended to be more likely to be victims of their partner infidelity.

When researchers conducted a similar analysis on a sub-sample of married individuals, the researchers found the same pattern.

However, researchers also found that people with the character of “agreeable” alias easy to agree, which is more warm and often helpful, also tend to have a partner who cheated.

Also read: Men Not Kapok Cheating Because Always Forgiven?

However, the results of this study are not justifications for blaming victims of infidelity.

The person who cheats is someone who violates trust in relationships and is wrong.

However, it should be understood that the perpetrators of infidelity feel their offenses will be more easily forgiven when their partners have the character as above.

Such studies show the importance of day-to-day character and conformity in relationship dynamics.

It is important to note that the results of this study only apply to participants who know their partners are having an affair.

An overall affair rate of 19 percent is probably an underestimate. In fact, more people have an affair than that number. it’s just that the partner doesn’t know.

In the above study, the type of infidelity was not determined, so the researchers relied on the participant’s own definition, which could include a variety of behaviors from emotional infidelity to sexual relations.

In the end, being more careful doesn’t guarantee that your partner won’t cheat. It is important to emphasize that maintaining a greater attitude of responsibility, self-discipline and mutual assistance can benefit our relationship.

Also read: Look, 9 Signs Your Partner Has An affair …

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