Relationships have always been a tricky world to navigate, and the recent advent of online dating has arguably made it even more complex. But if you have love and respect in your heart, and a working moral compass on your side, being committed to a partner is not that difficult.
However, we still see many apparently happy couples breaking up because one person could not be faithful towards the other (or both). According to Steven Nock, a sociology professor at the University of Virginia who has been studying married relationships since 1979, it is usually the men who end up going around their significant other’s backs and cheating on them.
Not All Kinds Of Cheating Have To Involve Sexual Relations
Before we get into the reasons why men are so often guilty of infidelity, let’s first take a moment to define what cheating is. A lot of times, men give excuses of how they did not end up having sex with the multiple women they were seeing and stopped themselves before they cheated.
Occasionally, we can even hear a wife defending her husband by saying he only flirts with the other women and is not a cheater. The critical thing to realize is that not all cheating has to be sexual.
While sexual cheating involves physical relations, emotional cheating consists of a person having romantic feelings for somebody other than their partner. In any case, a cheating man is not worth your time and does not deserve your attention.
So, Why Do People Cheat On Their Partners?
Now, with that out of the way, let’s address our original concern. Why do men end up cheating on their wives and girlfriends? Well, one thing is for sure. If you have been cheated on, it is anything but your fault. Need convincing? Read on the following 8 reasons behind men being unfaithful.
Pure, Unfiltered Lust Seems To Be The Simplest Answer To Two Timing Partners
Perhaps the number one reason for men cheating lies behind lust. Though it is a pretty natural emotion for all genders, decent humans are expected to control it – especially when they are in a committed relationship. When men fail to control their lust is when they end up two-timing their partners.
In fact, some men often turn to online dating just to start a quick romantic flick with a stranger!
Unresolved Commitment Issues Often Lie At The Basis Of Cheating In A Relationship
A lot of the time, you will discover that men who tend to cheat on their wives and girlfriends have been cheated on in the past too. Though this certainly does not justify their unfaithful behavior, it does offer us a more in-depth understanding.
Men who have had past relationships gone sour are prone to developing commitment issues. If left unresolved, these commitment issues can affect their present and future relationships with women.
These men will subconsciously think they should be the ones to cheat in a relationship before their partner does, and they are left hurt. They believe this even if there is no reason to suspect that their partner would cheat on them!
Some Boys Have Been Raised To Believe It Is The Manly Thing To Do
Unfortunately, society has raised some boys to believe that the more women they sleep with, the manlier they are. This problematic conditioning starts in early childhood and stays with them throughout their life.
Hence, boys who think this way will naturally grow up to become men who will take up every opportunity to have sex with another woman – even when they are cheating on the one they love!
Again, this is becoming a bit common in the world of online dating.
Personal Insecurities And Fears Can Often Fuel Unfaithfulness In Men
If your man thinks he is inferior to you and does not deserve you, he might be driven to cheat on you. Men with personal insecurities and an inferiority complex are always scared of their significant other leaving them for somebody else. This irrational fear will lead them to go behind their partners back and end up sabotaging their own relationship.
Some Men See It As A Clean Way To Break Up
Breaking up with your partner requires serious tact and communication skills. Immature men that lack these basic skills are always intimidated by such a prospect. Hence, some men will cheat to get out of doing this.
By cheating on you, men shift the burden of breaking up the relationship onto you. They consider cheating as a clean way to wrap things up where they have to put in minimal effort.
He Thinks He Needs A Fallback Option In Case Things Do Not Work Out
Not all relationships work, and most times, you can feel the break upcoming. Sometimes, when men fear that things will not work out between them, they will go looking for another relationship. Some might even try online dating sites to find a new partner.
However, some men fear to be alone so much that they will start doing this before even properly breaking up with you. In this case, they are treating you (or the other woman) as a backup option.
Your Man Holds Unrealistic Expectations From You That Are Impossible To Fulfill
Often, a cheating man will shift the blame onto his partner for his infidelity. “I would never cheat if you were home more.” “You do not listen to me as XYZ does!” “Ever since we had a child, you have never given me the importance I deserve.”
Though outrageous, statements like these are unbelievingly common. And the worst part, these men will really believe it’s your fault!
For Many, It Is An Knowing Act Of Being Hurtful Towards Their Partners
Last but not least, men also see cheating as a way to hurt their significant other knowingly. It is a lowly way for them to get back at their partner. Many seek revenge against something their partner did by cheating on them. For others, cheating is them acting out their anger.
Wrapping It Up
Whatever reason your man may have for being unfaithful in your relationship, remember that it is never your fault. So if you had been blaming yourself for your relationship ending, stop right away! A cheating man deserves no second chance.
