Abstract:
Past research (Barta & Kiene, 2005) has uncovered 4 key factors associated
with motivations for sexual infidelity: a) sex, b) anger, c)
dissatisfaction, and d) neglect. The goal of our research was to expand on
these findingsto investigate new infidelity motivation factors and their
correlates. We designed a 77-item questionnaire and administered it to a
sample of people (N = 495; 259 female) who self-reported at least 1 act of
sexual infidelity. Analyses revealed an 8-factor solution with an improved
model fit. The factors were: 1) Anger (³I wanted to get back at¹ my
primary partner²), 2) Sex (³My primary partner had lost interest in sex²),
3) Lack of Love (³I was not sure if I really loved my primary partner²), 4)
Commitment (³I was not very committed to my primary partner²), 5) Esteem (³I
wanted to enhance my social status²), 6) Situation (³I was intoxicated and I
was not thinking clearly²), 7) Neglect (³I felt neglected by my primary
partner²), and 8) Variety (³I wanted a greater variety of sexual partners²).
Male participants were more likely to endorse items pertaining to Sex,
Situation, and Variety, and less likely to endorse items pertaining to
Neglect. Attachment anxiety predicted Sex, Anger, Neglect, Commitment, and
Esteem motivations, while attachment avoidance predicted Anger, Lack of
Love, and Commitment motivations. Sociosexuality predicted Variety
motivations. Conscientiousness predicted Situation motivations. Destiny
beliefs predicted Lack of Love motivations, while growth beliefs
(negatively) predicted Sex and Commitment motivations. Implications for
predictors of sexual infidelity are discussed.
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Dylan Faulkner Selterman, Ph.D.
Department of Psychology, University of Maryland
College Park, MD 20742
Email: Dylan.Selterman@gmail.com
<file://composeviewinternalloadurl/Dylan.Selterman@gmail.com>
http://www.dylanselterman.com/
http://selterman.socialpsychology.org/
http://www.scienceofrelationships.com/
http://www.in-mind.org <http://www.in-mind.org/> /
