Cyber Infidelity: Just an Innocent Fun or Serious Threat to Relationships and Marriages? The appearance of the internet has undoubtedly influenced the experience of romantic relationships and marriages, especially when diverse social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace or Instagram has appeared. These sites offer new possibilities for people in pursuit of romantic, sexual and more serious relationships, as staying in contact with each other has become very easy due to these technological advancements, despite the geographical barriers. Many people perceive this type of interaction as a harmless and innocent fun because of the non-existing physical contact, insinuating that cyber (or online) infidelity isn’t so big of a deal. Experts …show more content…
They can come in possible contact with cyber-porn, potential participation in parental disagreements or deficiency of attention from both parents due to the fixation on that particular issue of cyber affair. When a 38 year old woman married for 15 years expressed her concern on this topic, as her husband began to masturbate on regular basis, stimulated from his cyber-lover, she said that “If the kids and I were coming home from somewhere and his car was there, I would run into the house first and be loud so the kids would not walk in on him”. It is hard to imagine any situation that could be as disturbing as this one if a child is exposed to such (Schneider 31-58). An interesting study that should be taken into notion is the one that MD Frank S. Pittman III and PsyD Tina Pittman Wegers wrote about in the Journal of Couple & Relationship therapy, that due to a decrease in levels of certain “nurturing domestic hormones” (such as oxytocin and vasopressin), those who cheat and are too much involved and infatuated with the subject of their admiration, “may abandon or disregard” their kids- this is something that no child deserves …show more content…
Effects of cybersex addiction on the family: Results of a survey. Sexual Addiction and Compulsivity 7: 31-58, (2000). Web. 31 Oct. 2014
Young, S, Kimberly. Internet Addiction: Symptoms, Evaluation, And Treatment. Innovations in Clinical Practice (Volume 17) by L. VandeCreek and T. L. Jackson (Eds.), Sarasota, FL: Professional Resource Press. (1999). Web. 31 Oct. 2014.
Young, S, Kimberly, Eric Griffin-Shelley , Al Cooper , James O 'mara and Jennifer Buchanan. “Online infidelity: A new dimension in couple relationships with implications for evaluation and treatment, Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity.” The Journal of Treatment & Prevention. New York: NY. 7:1-2, (2000): 59-74. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.
Young, S, Kimberly et al.“Online infidelity: A new dimension in couple relationships with implications for evaluation and treatment, Sexual Addiction & Compulsivity.” The Journal of Treatment & Prevention. New York: NY. 7:1-2, (2000): 60. Web. 07 Nov. 2014.
Whitty, T, Monica Pushing the Wrong Buttons: Men’s and Women’s Attitudes toward Online and Offline Infidelity. Cyberpshycology, Behavior, and Social Networking. Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. New Rochelle NY: Volume 6, Number 6, (2003): 571-576. Web. 30 Oct.