A Family Systems Guide to Infidelity

Paul R. Peluso, PhD, is Professor and Chair of the Department of Counselor Education at Florida Atlantic University and the Past President of the International Association of Marriage and Family Counseling (IAMFC). He is also the author/coauthor of six books—including Changing Aging, Changing Family Therapy: Practicing with 21st Century Realities—and the past editor of the journal Measurement and Evaluation in Counseling and Development.

1. Introduction and Overview 2. Historical Family Systems Review and Current State of the Art 3. Relationship Dissatisfaction: The Stock Market of Love 4. Power Imbalances: The See-Saw of Love in Relationships 5. The Death of the Dream, The Fantasy Unfulfilled, The Wish Un-Granted, and the Opening of the Door to Infidelity 6. Detonation of the Bomb: Infidelity Discovered, the Partner’s Perspective and the Decision to Pick up the Pieces or Pack it in 7. Exploring the Wishes, Dreams, and Fantasies Unfulfilled and/or Developing New Ones to Pursue Together 8. Rebalancing the See-Saw: Sharing Power and Working Together 9. Increasing Satisfaction and Learning to Ride the Ups and Downs of Relationships 10. Affair Proof! How to Help Couples Make Sure An Infidelity Isn’t Happening or Won’t Ever Happen Again 11. Conclusion and Wrap-Up