When two people meet and form a couple, their relationship typically goes through several natural phases. It is during one of these stages that the risk of infidelity is greatest. Clinical psychologist and neuropsychologist Svetlana Svintsova, a leading specialist at the Semeynaya network of clinics, shared with Championat how to recognize cheating and how to avoid driving a relationship to a breaking point.
According to the expert, the interaction between partners can be conditionally divided into four stages:
“Meeting Your Other Half” – Before meeting, each person carries a fantasy of an ideal partner. When someone resembling that image appears, the individual begins to attribute all conceivable virtues to the chosen one.
“Honeymoon” – Partners strive to meet each other’s expectations, sometimes changing their own preferences and taking the other’s desires as their own. A part of their own interests fades into the background.
“Discovering Yourself” – Over time, it becomes clear that partners do not actually want the same things. Each person’s own interests, which were suppressed to maintain unity, resurface. Disagreements and contradictions arise.
“Circle of Revenge” – If one partner begins to tolerate in the hope of future compensation while the other is not eager to give up their desires, the first partner starts “punishing.” The circle of revenge closes, and the couple can remain stuck in financial, emotional, and sexual battles for a long time.
It is at the fourth stage, if partners fail to find a balance, that the relationship teeters on the edge of a breakup. At this point, unable to handle the tension, one partner may resort to infidelity, notes Svintsova.
The psychologist lists the main reasons for marital unfaithfulness: sexual dissatisfaction, lack of attention and care, frequent conflicts, and an unwillingness to discuss problems.
Can infidelity be recognized? Svintsova points out that since the cheating partner will likely try to hide the fact, it is difficult to determine with certainty.
“More importantly, as you go through the ‘circles of revenge,’ try to bring the relationship to a level where partners listen to each other, resolve conflicts in time, show more care and attention, and build trust,” the expert emphasizes.
With a properly established balance, a couple can maintain marital stability. At that point, the question of infidelity no longer threatens the relationship, the psychologist concludes.
