Patterns Of Infidelity And Their Treatment

Provides therapists with a systematic framework for evaluating and treating patients involved in extramarital affairs.

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This volume provides therapists with a systematic framework for evaluating and treating patients involved in extramarital affairs. Using case examples, the author examines affairs as expressions of fear, disappointment, anger, emptiness, or need for love and acceptance. The first section of the book identifies five "patterns of infidelity", in which the affair reflects the unfaithful partner's dysfunctional pattern of relating to his or her spouse. The second section describes therapeutic strategies for each type of affair and addresses key issues such as managing the crisis; hiding, telling, or getting caught; the unmarried other; group treatment; trust, forgiveness, and closure; divorce; and the impact of affairs on children. The author emphasizes her belief that honesty between the marriage partners is essential to resolution of the conflict underlying the infidelity. The final section discusses the ways in which the therapist's own experience with love and betrayal can affect the therapeutic process.