Divorce Information

Extramarital Affair: Should You Get A Divorce Just Because One Of You Had An Extramarital Affair?


Having to deal with an extramarital affair can be a life-changing event, regardless of whether you stay married or not. Inescapable feelings can come over both people who live through an extramarital affair that will never be forgotten by either of them. The person who actually had the extramarital affair can have feelings of guilt, loneliness, confusion and misdirection along with many other feelings. The 'partner' who did not have the extramarital affair can have these feelings as well, but the lack of confidence that can come as a result of the other person having an extramarital affair can be one of the toughest parts to deal with.

The feelings that come as a result of one or both parties having an extramarital affair are natural but can also be extensions of something much deeper. Of course, if someone has an extramarital affair, both people in that marriage will have feelings that will be "surface level" only at first. Arguments can occur, denial may set in, and/or tempers can flare due to the extramarital affair. While these things are only natural and to be expected, if your going to actually survive an extramarital affair, you must look at the deeper issues and get down to the real cause of the affair and what to do about it.

People in marriages don't often look at having extramarital affairs lightly, and they realize most times what affects their actions will have on their marriage. If someone has an extramarital affair and doesn't think that it will have an affect on their marriage, surely they are either in denial or their definition of marriage leans strongly towards the "open" side. For the rest of the married crowd who don't subscribe to an "open" marriage and who have to deal with an extramarital affair, things can get a bit more complex.

Complexity can be interesting no doubt, but it can also add to the confusion of someone having an extramarital affair, especially if the couple or one party in that couple wants to look deeper at the situation and figure out two very important things:

Extramarital Affair Item 1: Why did the extramarital affair happen?

Extramarital Affair Item 2: Does the fact that there was an extramarital affair in the marriage really warrant getting a divorce when both people agree upon the reason that the extramarital affair happened in the first place?

If the couple really wants to save their marriage in spite of the extramarital affair, then finding out why the extramarital affair happened and agreeing on that reason is the first step in the healing process. If you are currently trying to save your marriage and one of you had an extramarital affair, try to limit your pain that you feel and talk things out with your spouse so you can clearly define and agree upon exactly why the extramarital affair took place.

If you cannot do this, chances are you will never get over the extramarital affair and your marriage most likely won't survive...or at least you won't have a healthy marriage after the extramarital affair.

After you have defined and agreed upon the reason that the extramarital affair took place, you must decide whether that reasons (or reasons) warrant actually going through a painful divorce. At this point you have 2 choices...either decide in your own or decide with your spouse. The latter is optimal for a variety of reasons but the main reason is that you may actually save your marriage if you decide together. Deciding together whether the real reason an extramarital affair took place indicates that you're both really reaching out for something, something you most likely didn't have prior to the extramarital affair...togetherness.

So, should you get a divorce just because one of you had an extramarital affair?

No, not necessarily. Depending on how collaborative you can be with your spouse, how 'detective-like' you can act, and how much soul searching you can do, you may just become stronger together because of an extramarital affair. It may sound odd, but that's the truth.

Of course, it is entirely possible (and probable) that if you both don't define and agree on why the extramarital affair took place and work to address that reason or reasons, your marriage won't ever be healthy again and you'll never be able to healthily survive the extramarital affair.

Author of "A Practical Guide To Deciding Whether Or Not To Get A Divorce", the eBook recommended by counselors to thier clients. Proven "Actions Items" to help you decide!
Deciding on Divorce
extramarital affair


MORE RESOURCES:

TSN

Elin Nordegren Divorce Update: Tiger Woods $54 Million Mortgage Dilemma
Associated Content
Elin Nordegren's divorce update from Tiger Woods indicates that Woods took out a mortgage of a whopping $54 million on the exclusive Windermere home that he ...
Woods takes out $54M mortgage on Fla. estateThe Associated Press
Two Days After Divorce, Tiger Woods Mortgages House for $54.5 MillionCMR
Woods takes out $54M mortgage on Fla. estateAtlanta Journal Constitution
NetDugout -FOXSports.com
all 507 news articles »


Los Angeles Times

Dodger Blues: McCourt Divorce Reveals Team's Huge Debt
AHN | All Headline News
Los Angeles, CA, United States (AHN) - The ongoing high-profile divorce trial of Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and his estranged wife Jamie, the former team ...
McCourt Divorce Trial Reveals Dodgers' Massive Debts, Payroll DeductionsFanHouse
Frank McCourt denies changing property documentsLos Angeles Times (blog)
McCourt's memory fuzzy at divorce trialOne News Page
LA Weekly (blog) -Portfolio.com (blog) -USA Today
all 705 news articles »


Sky News

Cheryl, Ashley 'to finalise divorce today'
Digital Spy
Cheryl and Ashley Cole are to complete divorce proceedings this morning, it has been revealed. The couple, who announced ...
Cheryl Cole in 'quickie divorce'The Press Association
Cheryl & Ashley divorce todayThe Sun
THANK GOD IT'S ALL OVERMirror.co.uk
Daily Mail -Daily Star -BBC News
all 264 news articles »


Dodgers owner Frank McCourt testifies at divorce trial
USA Today
By By Kevork Djansezian, Getty Images By David Leon Moore, USA TODAY LOS ANGELES — Frank McCourt will be back on the witness stand today, and if his ...
Attorney testifies in McCourt divorce trialBoston Globe
Dodgers owner takes stand in own divorce trialThe Associated Press
Frank McCourt is expected to take the stand Tuesday in Dodgers divorce trialLos Angeles Times (blog)
SportsBusiness Daily (subscription) -Daily Beast -ESPN
all 1,320 news articles »


ABC News

Same-Sex Divorce a No Go in Dallas
Wall Street Journal (blog)
Let's say two men legally married in a state that recognizes same-sex marriage try to divorce in a state that doesn't. What happens? ...
Court says gay couples can't divorce in TexasThe Associated Press
Court says gay couples can't divorce in TexasHouston Chronicle
Texas Bans Gay DivorceDeath and Taxes
The AtlanticWire (blog) -Examiner.com -Christian Post
all 290 news articles »


Washington Post

Guitarist Slash and Wife File For Divorce
Artistdirect.com
Velvet Revolver guitarist and former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash is filing for divorce from his longtime wife Perla Ferrar. The pair were married in 2001. ...
Former Guns N' Roses Guitarist, Slash, Files for Divorce from His WifeTheCelebrityCafe.com
Slash Divorce Papers FiledNewsOXY
GNR's Slash seeks divorceUPI.com
IndyPosted -NDTV.com -Spinner
all 433 news articles »


ABC News

Mind games
Boston Globe
NORTON — Playing golf while your team of lawyers negotiates a divorce settlement that might run eight or nine figures is bound to be a ...
Woods seeks to maintain momentumAFP
DEUTSCHE BANK CHAMPIONSHIP ODDS SHOW TIGER WOODS AS 7/1 FAVOURITEBetting Choice
Tiger is hungry for a winWorcester Telegram
South Coast Today -FOXNews
all 668 news articles »


'Culture of dependence' in N. Ireland?
UPI.com
3 (UPI) -- Northern Ireland suffers from "worklessness," which contributes to high levels of divorce and alcoholism, Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith ...

and more »


Sovo.com

LGBT advocates blast divorce case ruling
Dallas Voice
Texas is justified in prohibiting same-sex marriage — and divorce — because gay couples can't procreate and because children are better off raised by ...
The Verdict Is In: Gay Couples Can't Divorce in TexasSovo.com

all 2 news articles »


Gail Koff, Principal in Jacoby & Meyers, Dies at 65
New York Times
Her 20-year marriage to Ralph Brill ended in 1998 after a highly publicized four-year divorce fight that included accusations of abuse against her husband, ...

and more »

Google News

Home | Back to Index | site map
© 2006