Content area
Full Text
The present study investigates the occurrence and experience of sexual betrayal in adolescents and young adults from the perspectives of both the perpetrator and the aggrieved. Subjects (N =216) who had been in monogamous relationships were asked whether they had ever cheated on their partner (by petting or having sexual relations with another) and whether their partner had ever cheated on them. Subjects also reported their motives and reactions and the consequences associated with these betrayals. Approximately two-thirds of the sample had experienced betrayal, as the perpetrator, the aggrieved, or both. Perpetrators typically know their betrayal partners and are motivated by sexual attraction, the regular partner's absence, and the influence of drugs or alcohol. Although 42% of betrayals are not discovered by the aggrieved, the majority of those that are discovered result from confessions by the perpetrator. As expected, those who are betrayed generally react with anger or sadness. Perpetrators often feel guilty, but also report a number of positive emotions, suggesting that betrayal may play an important role as adolescents struggle to establish their identities. Gender differences were absent in the incidence, motives, and experience of sexual betrayal. Results are interpreted in terms of competing demands of intimacy and identity formation.
INTRODUCTION
Although romantic relationships are common during the adolescent years, their dynamics are poorly understood. In particular, the causes and consequences of sexual infidelity during adolescence and young adulthood remain virtually unexplored, despite the fact that such betrayals may have significant emotional and interpersonal consequences.
Previous research has found that adolescents consider "betrayal" to include activities such as dating, spending time, becoming emotionally involved, or having sexual relations with someone other than one's romantic partner (Roscoe et al., 1988). Sexual betrayal, in contrast to general betrayal, is limited to sexual activities (including petting and sexual intercourse) outside a supposedly exclusive relationship. Sexual betrayal, in the context of the present discussion, refers to the unilateral breaking of a commitment to be sexually monogamous, without the awareness or sanction of one's romantic partner (Lieberman, 1988).
Although, young people have become more permissive over the past few decades, and although they engage in sexual intercourse at younger ages and have experience with a variety of different partners over time (Katchadourian, 1990), adolescents do not endorse...