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What do the key academic scholars in the area have to say about the topic?

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What do the key academic scholars in the area have to say about the topic?

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Key academic scholars in this area, such as psychologists and sociologists, state that extramarital affairs most of the time are extremely destructive to family stability and happiness. Gender and morals can be a major influencing factor to this issue. (Jin, Le, Nguyen, Vuong 2024) While both genders engage in this deviant behavior, data and analysis results from many studies show that males are more likely to have extramarital affairs than females. While there is not a major gender difference with this deviant behavior, men are more likely than women to think extramarital affairs can be justified. Studies show that the interactions with gender and morals, on the importance of fairness and responsibility, state whether or not that individual thinks affairs are justifiable. Results have found that people who put more importance on fairness are more likely to think extramarital affairs are justifiable, while individuals who put more importance on responsibility are less likely to think that affairs are justifiable. Key academic scholars in this area suggest that these patterns could be due to how an individual views moral values towards marital relationships, societal expectations, and personal standards.

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Extramarital affairs are secret illicit romance or sexual relationships or intense attachments/friendships that occur outside of a marriage. This relationship –emotional or physical– transpires between a married individual and another individual, that is not their spouse. This behavior is considered deviant because this type of relationship doesn’t conform to the societal norms of marriage. In American society, marriage is a sacred vow between two individuals stating that they will only love one another for the rest of their lives. While extramarital affairs aren’t illegal, these affairs can lead to extreme emotional impacts on families, partner breakups, and/or trust issues. I believe extramarital affairs is a topic worth investigating because it has sadly become extremely prevalent in marriages today, which has, in a sense, made this deviant behavior “normalized” to society.

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Individuals who undergo extramarital affairs are labeled with behavior deviance, according to Adler & Adler’s ABC’s of Deviance. Behavior deviance is “intentional or inadvertent actions.” This deviance is an achieved status for the individual attained this social status through personal choices, rather than assigned at birth. Individuals who engage in extramarital affairs blatantly choose to partake in having a romantic relationship with another person that is not their spouse.

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Individuals who engage in extramarital affairs are labeled with a selection and sinful deviance, according to Adler & Adler’s three categories of S’s. This deviant behavior falls under two categories of S’s, for extramarital affairs can be seen as a deviance that is equivalent to sin and satanic influence – in a religious aspect–, as well as, an act that is intentional, within control. In most religions, such as Christianity, marriage is a symbol of a relationship between Christ, or another god, and the Church. It is a lifelong union between a man and a woman. When that union is sabotaged due to an extramarital affair, the act is labeled as a deviance that is equivalent to sin and satanic influence. Moreover, extramarital affairs are labeled with a selection deviance for the individual choose to engage in the act; it was in the individual’s control to decide to partake in this deviance. In the peer reviewed article “The Real Reason Extramarital Affairs Are Hard To Stop” by Stephen J. Betchen states that the most common reasons for most affairs are from abuse or neglect, incompatible sex, lack of attraction, conflicting interest and values. This exemplifies why individuals intentionally engage in extramarital affairs.

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Goffman's perspective on extramarital affairs

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Goffman's perspective on extramarital affairs

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Looking through Goffman’s perspective on deviance, extramarital affairs applies to blemishes of individual character because individuals who partake in this deviance are being dishonest. This deviance would be labeled as discreditable stigma–differentness is neither known about or immediately perceivable. An individual couldn’t look at another person/stranger on the street and can confirm that the individual is performing a deviant act, an extramarital affair. This stigma/deviance is not evident to the eye. Moreover, individuals who engage in extramarital affairs can be passing–a person who passes leads a double life and the informal connectedness of biography can allow for different modes of double living. People who partake in extramarital affairs are considered passing for they live a ‘double life’, one with their spouse and other with their affair partner. The individual’s spouse knew who they were before the affair, but not now, and the affair partner knows the individual for who they are now, not before. Lastly, this deviance applies to voluntary disclosure–going from discreditable to discredited and managing uneasy social situations instead of information–because once the person is exposed of their extramarital affair their discreditable stigma no longer exists. They are then labeled as a cheater, discredited by stigma, and face uncomfortable social situations with people who are aware of their deviant behavior.

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As a society, we generally agree that cheating on a spouse with another individual is inappropriate, therefore, Positive/Normative Conceptualization applies to extramarital affairs.

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Deviants in this type of situation can view their behavior in two different ways. The first way deviants can view their behavior is feeling extreme guilt and shame once the exhilarating, adrenaline-seeking behavior goes away. The other way deviants view their behavior is believing it is not an immoral act or having an attitude of ‘I deserve to be happy’ or ‘it’s just physical, it doesn’t mean anything’. (Team, 2024) Having either of these viewpoints can be a heavy cognitive juggle for the deviant because the individual is living a double life. According to Mariana G. Figueiro, PHD in human health, and Claire Law, Psychotherapist, unfaithful partners mentally compartmentalize, “Compartmentalization is another trick of the trade. It’s like having two separate lives in two different boxes, never letting them touch. Monday to Friday, you’re the devoted spouse. Weekends? You’re living out your wildest fantasies with your affair partner. It’s a cognitive juggling act that would make a circus performer dizzy.” Moreover, individuals who engage in extramarital affairs regard their deviance as a one-time aberration because they’re not viewing their affair partner as a life-long commitment/new spouse.

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My opinion on extramarital affairs & its impacts on society

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My opinion on extramarital affairs & its impacts on society

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In my opinion, this deviant behavior has more negative impacts on society than positive. The positive impact this deviant behavior can achieve, is under the circumstances of an individual using an extramarital affair as an escape from an abusive relationship, whether it be emotional or physical. On the other hand, negative impacts extramarital affairs create are extreme emotional impacts on families, partner breakups, and/or trust issues. This can make people in society more cautious about finding a partner, which can cause many individuals to become emotionally unavailable. Society negatively responds to this deviant behavior, for marriage is a sacred vow that many individuals in society value.

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Adler, Patricia, and Peter Adler. 2015. Constructions of Deviance: Social Power, Context, and Interaction. 8th

edition. Boston: Cengage Learning. ISBN 978-1305093546.

Betchen, S. J. (2019). The Real Reason Extramarital Affairs Are Hard to Stop. Retrieved March 2, 2025, from Psychology Today website: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/magnetic-partners/201912/the-real-reason-extramarital-affairs-are-hard-to-stop

Goffman. Erving, Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. New York: Touchstone

(Reissue edition). 1986. 2 ISBN: 978-06716224422

Le, T.-T., Jin, R., Nguyen, M.-H., & Vuong, Q.-H. (2024). Fair but Irresponsible: How Moral Senses Affect Young Males’ Attitudes Toward Extramarital Affairs. SAGE Open, 14(3). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241264190

Team, N. E. (2024, September 15). Psychology of Affairs: Unraveling the Complex Web of Infidelity. Retrieved March 2, 2025, from NeuroLaunch.com website: https://neurolaunch.com/psychology-of-affairs/

(Images from Padlet)