Synonyms
Definition
- Infidelity:
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In the context of marriage, sexual activity with a person other than the marriage partner
Introduction
This entry will discuss the frequency of infidelity in the context of marriage, defined as “a socio-sexual and socially recognized bond of some duration” which is typically, but not always, established between a man and a woman (Weisfeld et al. 2018, p. 5). Typically, marriage has the purpose of raising children in common; this nearly universal arrangement usually brings with it a commitment to sexual exclusivity with regard to one’s spouse. In this context, infidelity is then a violation of that commitment to sexual exclusivity by one spouse or the other, by means of sexual involvement with another person outside the marriage. The entry here will not deal with polygamy (the publicly recognized arrangement whereby one may have multiple spouses), or polyamory, defined as the practice of...
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References
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Weisfeld, G.E., Weisfeld, C.C., Nowak, N.T. (2018). Frequency of Infidelity. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1733-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1733-1
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