What is considered cheating in a relationship: When it comes to cheating in a relationship, sleeping with someone who is not your partner, or getting involved in an affair is generally considered as crossing the line of faith. However, betraying trust cannot be categorized into black and white so easily. There are a lot of gray areas where an action may be considered cheating on someone from one person’s perspective and be analyzed as completely normal from another’s.
These gray areas also serve as a possibility for one partner to betray the other’s trust without landing in the port for their actions. This opacity over what counts as cheating in a relationship can often become a bone of conflict between couples. So, understanding what is considered cheating in a relationship can help you gain clarity on how to manage this hurting point gracefully. It is most suitable to lay down your definition of cheating in a relationship so that there is no ambiguity over this issue later on.
What is considered cheating in a relationship:
Emotional cheating
Being too close to a friend can amount to emotional cheating in a relationship, especially if this friend is of the opposite gender. If you are attracted to this friend, it is a clear red flag that you are crossing the line of loyalty. Even if you share a spiritual love for each other, prioritizing your friend over your partner all the time falls into the gray area that amounts to cheating. It is more about the dependency you have on this person. You feel you cannot depend on your partner for this level of emotional closeness.
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- Signs of cheating.
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- Should I forgive cheating?
Talking bad about your partner to someone
Of the different forms of cheating in a relationship, this is an important one. Criticizing a partner and sharing their weaknesses with someone you are drawn to is the oldest temptation in the cheater’s playbook. So, if you are guilty of talking about how horrible your partner is to someone you are emotionally attached to or have a crush on, you are cheating in a relationship.
Being in a relationship with your phone
Cheating in a relationship does not necessarily mean a s*xual or emotional relationship with someone other than your partner. You can also cheat with lifeless things. One such thing is your phone.
Do you squash your head on your phone while your partner is trying to have a conversation with you? Is your phone the last thing you interact with before sleeping and the first thing you go for in the morning? If yes, then say hello to one of the contemporary types of cheating in a relationship. You have no idea how frustrating it can be for your partner. You are seating beside your partner for hours expecting to have a conversation with them. And they are not even glimpsing at you. You will go crazy for their attention. In such a situation we can say that a device has become the third wheel in the relationship. While not many may see it as a form of cheating, this kind of emotional neglect does amount to wrongdoing.
Lying about someone’s presence in your life
Say, you’re out for lunch with a special friend, and your partner calls or texts. You intentionally lie about hanging out with this other person. You may tell yourself that you are just friends. The fact that you have to hide your connection with this person from your partner is proof that there is more to this friendship than you are acknowledging. By lying to your spouse about it, you are resorting to one of the various types of cheating.