An
emotional affair occurs when a person forms a deep and intense emotional connection with someone other than their partner, often involving intimate conversations and sharing personal thoughts and feelings. It is considered a breach of trust in a committed relationship, although it does not involve physical intimacy.
Full definition
When people engage
in emotional affairs, they may look forward to chatting with the same person each night.
In the end you will realize that in order to enjoy a happy and healthy marriage it is worth guarding against the dangers
of emotional affairs.
The author describes how many people enter
into emotional affairs under the premise of just being friends, especially in the workplace.
Emotional affairs don't always include a sexual component, but often result from building an emotionally intimate connection with another person.
Many
emotional affairs begin because couples «drift» without the benefit of similar interests to bind them together.
In the last few years, more people are using the term and talking
about emotional affairs and trying to figure out what the next step is.
Most emotional affairs are not physically sexual, but rather emotionally provocative and intimate, which actually makes them more challenging for couples to overcome and forgive.
Emotional affairs at the office are now so prevalent that an actual term for it has been generated - office spouse.
Did you know that approximately 41 % of men and women admit to having a physical or
emotional affair during marriage?
Emotional affairs affect a marriage because the person starts having their emotional needs met by someone outside the marriage instead of their spouse.
The intimacy involved
in emotional affairs can frequently have a degree of intensity deeper than a sexual affair because you are more emotionally invested.
Denial often keeps people involved in
emotional affairs as they tell themselves that because there is no sex involved, they are doing no wrong.
From emotional affairs to physical dalliances, infidelity tends to destroy nearly half of the relationships that it impacts.
It is always a high - profile
emotional affair when Arsenal take on Spurs, and it is the one game that both sets of fans really hate losing.
Like Caitlin, many of my clients engage in
emotional affairs because they believe it's okay to find love and intimacy with someone other than their partner as long as it's not sexual.
When you spend a large percentage of your day, every day, working in close proximity to someone else, and only see your spouse for a few hours at the end of a long tiring day, it is understandable
how emotional affairs can start.
Well, the
term emotional affair — according to the encyclopedia definition — describes a bond between two people that mimics the closeness and emotional intimacy of a romantic relationship while never being physically consummated.
Emotional affairs happen when someone fantasizes about being with someone else they know and have those fantasies mutually returned.
Emotional affairs sometimes seem innocent and justifiable because the people involved may claim that they are «just friends» who talk frequently and confide in one another.
People who get involved in
emotional affairs find themselves making negative comparisons between their partner and the «friend.»
Are You Really Available Assertive Communication and Anger Management Coping with Loss Creating an Honest, Truthful Relationship Cultivating Gratitude Differences Between Men and
Women Emotional Affairs Forgiveness How To Fight The Stages of Committed Relationships Warning Signs of Relationship Breakdown
For more on this issue, see: Article in Psychology Today Love, But Don't Touch Article in Marie Claire The dangerous new infidelity you need to know about Article in Ladies Homes Journal about
Emotional Affairs Article in USA Today about Emotional Intimacy
If you find there are
enough emotional affair signs in your marriage, it probably means that you've experienced an intimacy breakdown in your marriage, and that is where you can begin to focus your attention.
Emotional intimacy signs can be spotted and tackled, so have a good read through the warning signs to watch out for — and put an end to your husband's
emotional affair before it has even begun.
The truth is,
emotional affairs venture into a kind of quicksand; they may not initially lead to physical involvement, but they can devastate marriages.
Sometimes extramarital involvement,
particularly emotional affairs just seem to happen, according to the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy website.