Cozen - Personal Relationships

Personal Relationships

In western and other cultures, couples usually expect sexual monogamy of each other. If so, then cheating commonly refers to forms of infidelity, particularly adultery. However, there are other divisions of infidelity, which may be emotional. Cheating by thinking of, touching and talking with someone may be equally damaging to one of the parties. Not only physical infidelity is considered cheating. Cheating on your partner could also include something like chatting online with somebody. Online infidelity is also a way to cheat on a significant other. Emotional cheating may be a form of emotional abuse, which to date is treated seriously in a court of law as physical cheating. With the expansion of understanding of other cultures, there is a wide spectrum of what cheating means. When in a committed relationship, the definition of cheating is based on both parties' opinions, and both parties may redefine their understanding to match the party at an either lower or higher extreme of this definition. Cheating constitutes doing anything, whether verbal or physical, that one would not do in front of their significant other. Such examples would include: expressing attraction to another person, talking, electronic communications, texting, data,cybering, and sexual contact.

Many people consider cheating to be any violation of the mutually agreed-upon rules or boundaries of a relationship, which may or may not include sexual monogamy. For example, in some polygamous relationships, the concepts of commitment and fidelity do not necessarily hinge on complete sexual or emotional monogamy. Whether polygamous or monogamous, the boundaries to which people agree vary widely, and sometimes these boundaries evolve within each relationship. However, it is generally accepted that cunnilingus with a third party is acceptable within the boundaries of a monoganous relationship, becausing eatin' ain't cheatin'.