Denton Divorce Lawyers

Emotional vs. Physical Affairs

Many people may not realize that cheating can be emotional, as well as physical. In both cases, a person goes outside the marriage for something that should be held intimately within the marital relationship. Either way, extramarital affairs can destroy the trust and security that are essential to a successful marriage.

Emotional Affairs

With an emotional affair, a person goes outside of their marriage to find the emotional support they need. This typically starts with a platonic friendship that eventually grows until the spouse is seeking out the “friend” rather than the husband or wife for things such as advice, talking through problems, and verbal encouragement.

Although some people do not believe that emotional affairs are true cases of infidelity, emotional affairs shift the emotional support base from within the marriage to outside of the union. Let it also be noted that about half of emotional affairs turn into physical affairs as well.

Physical Affairs

There are a range of offenses that count as a physical affair. While some people believe that only sexual intercourse counts as a full-blown affair, others state that anything from sexual relations to long, sensuous hugs also count as physical affairs.

Physical affairs are detrimental to a marriage because they often encourage one spouse to blame another. For instance, the cheating spouse claims that he or she is unfaithful because the other spouse is withholding sex. Either way, physical affairs can be extremely hurtful because they typically involve lying and sneaking around.

Contact Us

If your marriage has been broken by an affair, either physical or emotional, getting a divorce can separate you from your unfaithful spouse and free you to move on with your life. For more information on divorce law, contact the Denton divorce lawyers at Alexander & Associates today by calling 972-420-6560.