What reasons is cheating justified? (marriages, love, family, spouse)

[Raena77]

Never. Its hurtful, deceitful, immoral. ...and why do something that you would never want someone to do to you.

[orangeapple]

Never.
Fix your relationship, come to terms with the situation if it's not fully fixable, or end the relationship before getting involved with someone new.

[hawaiiancoconut]

Ain't no good reason. Cheating is a cold calculated choice.

[Dewdrop93]

If you were forced into marriage against your will, have an abusive spouse, and are not allowed to get a divorce. So basically, never if you live in a country with free will.

[Skydive Outlaw]

'What reasons is cheating justified?'


You cannot answer that question without first answering whether or not the actions and behavior that allow the cheating to occur can be justified:


Lying

Manipulation

Deception

Lack of empathy (for the feelings of the partner that is being cheated on)


So the lying, manipulation, deception and lack of empathy needs to be addressed first.

Can lying be justified - Only if the person lying is a pathological liar with narcissistic traits and then it is due to the underlying psychological issues. Even when 'justified', it is recommended that a psychologically healthy person get as far away from the liar as possible.

Can manipulation be justified - Only if the reason or reasons for the manipulation are isolated first: once again a personality disorder being the reason that the manipulator is behaving that way. And getting away from the insanity is not only a good a idea, but a moral imperative for a healthy person that might be enmeshed with the manipulator.

Can deception be justified - Once again, if the person deceiving is so sick that they lack a working relationship with reality, have the ability to reinvent history and think that they are above normal natural law, then there is no hope for them and it is justified only in the sense that it is their survival mechanism for dealing with the world. But removing them from your life if/when it becomes apparent that they are seriously screwed up would make sense.

Can a lack of empathy be justified - I guess if the person is a sociopath, then there is a reason for their lack of empathy but extracting them from your life like the cancer that they are would be a critical component to your own survival. Justified or not - they need to get kicked to the curb.


Cheating is just a symptom of the above listed core problems.

[believe007]

Originally Posted by Skydive Outlaw

'What reasons is cheating justified?'


You cannot answer that question without first answering whether or not the actions and behavior that allow the cheating to occur can be justified:


Lying

Manipulation

Deception

Lack of empathy (for the feelings of the partner that is being cheated on)


So the lying, manipulation, deception and lack of empathy needs to be addressed first.

Can lying be justified - Only if the person lying is a pathological liar with narcissistic traits and then it is due to the underlying psychological issues. Even when 'justified', it is recommended that a psychologically healthy person get as far away from the liar as possible.

Can manipulation be justified - Only if the reason or reasons for the manipulation are isolated first: once again a personality disorder being the reason that the manipulator is behaving that way. And getting away from the insanity is not only a good a idea, but a moral imperative for a healthy person that might be enmeshed with the manipulator.

Can deception be justified - Once again, if the person deceiving is so sick that they lack a working relationship with reality, have the ability to reinvent history and think that they are above normal natural law, then there is no hope for them and it is justified only in the sense that it is their survival mechanism for dealing with the world. But removing them from your life if/when it becomes apparent that they are seriously screwed up would make sense.

Can a lack of empathy be justified - I guess if the person is a sociopath, then there is a reason for their lack of empathy but extracting them from your life like the cancer that they are would be a critical component to your own survival. Justified or not - they need to get kicked to the curb.


Cheating is just a symptom of the above listed core problems.

Excellent post, if I do say so myself
I just want to add that I don't care why or who or what reason a cheater comes up with.

Cheaters are lowlife sleazebags.
So there are no reasons.
No excuses.

[dejaentendu19]

Cheating = lack of morals/character despite the circumstances.

[burgler09]

I put cheating is never ok, but I think it's ok if you get a good opportunity and then break up with the person you're with right away.

[JordanJP]

Cheating is never okay. If you're unhappy or looking for something, bring it up with your SO and don't be a ***** about it. Otherwise, they won't know what needs to be fixed and they'll be blindsided when they find out you've been playing games or unfaithful.

[JordanJP]

Originally Posted by Dewdrop93

If you were forced into marriage against your will, have an abusive spouse, and are not allowed to get a divorce. So basically, never if you live in a country with free will.

The countries with arranged marriages that don't really allow divorce are rather stringent when it comes to unfaithfulness... as in, cheaters (but particularly the woman) will likely be killed or severely punished somehow. Probably not a good idea... though I see what you were getting at.