Investigating Existential Crises of Unfaithful Men and Examining the Effectiveness of Indigenous Counseling Based on Marital Infidelity Tendency

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Counseling, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan Iran

2 Department of Counseling, Faculty of Education and Psychology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.

3 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social science, University del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia.

Abstract

Aim: the present study aimed to investigate the existential crises of unfaithful men and examine the effectiveness of indigenous counseling based on marital infidelity tendency. Method: the research had a exploratory mixed-method design and included both qualitative and quantitative phases. The interpretive phenomenology method was used in the qualitative phase. Eighteen unfaithful men of Shahindej city, Iran, were selected by purposive sampling and interviewed in the qualitative phase. The data were analyzed by Colaizzi’s method. As a result, six categories (i.e., delay contemplation, existential emptiness avoidance, not accepting fate, pathological value change, sexual and desire-based love, and struggling with existential loneliness). Then, the initial model of counseling was designed based on these crises. The model matching method was used to evaluate the theoretical validity of the model. The model was given to 12 experts to confirm its face and content validity, and after approval, it was finalized in the form of 12 sessions. The single case method was used in the quantitative phase. three unfaithful men were purposively selected in the quantitative phase. The model was implemented in three baselines, intervention, and follow-ups. The data were collected by the Attitudes toward Infidelity Scale (ATIS) and analyzed by visual analysis, statistical and clinical significance. Findings: The results revealed that the model significantly reduced marital infidelity tendency (p<0.01). Conclusion: Therapists can use the model reduce the tendency to infidelity in the individuals or couples engaged in marital infidelity.

Keywords

References

Amer, Z. (2018). Examining the role of relationship satisfaction inthe association between rejection sensitivity and infidelity. PhD Thesis, University of Tennessee, Knoxville. [Link]
Abzug, R. (2016). Extramarital affairs as occupational hazard: A structural, ethical (cultural) model of opportunity. Sexualities Journal, 19(1-2), 25_45. [Link]
Colaizzi, P. F. (1978) Psychological research as a phenomenologist views it. In: Valle, R.S. and King, M., Eds., Existential-Phenomenological Alternatives for Psychology, Oxford University Press, New York, 48-71. [Link]
Daei Jafari, M. R., Aghaei, A., & Rashidi Rad, M. (2020). Existential Humanistic Therapy with Couples and its Effect on Meaning of Life and Love Attitudes. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 48(5): 530-545. [Link]
Eindor, T., Perrypaldi, A., Hirschberger, G., Birnbaum, G. E., & Deutsch, D. (2015). Coping with mate poaching: Gender differences in detection of infidelity-related threats. Evolution & Human Behavior, 36(1): 17_24. [Link]
Hyrkas, K., Appelqvist-Schmidlechner, A., & Oksa, L. (2003). Validating on instrument for clinical supervision using an expert panel. International journal of nursing studies, 40(1): 619-625. [Link]
Kalantarkousheh, S. M. (2012). Effects of existential issues training on marital communication among Iranian women. Psihologijske Teme, 21(2): 213–224. [Link]
Kalantarkousheh, S. M., Hassan, S. A., Kadir, R. A., & Talib, M. A. (2012). Effects of existential issue training on marital satisfaction among Iranian women. The New Educational Review, 28(2): 29–38. [Link]
Kulpreeyavat, V., & Nimanong, V. (2015). Rollo May on existence enriches mental health. PSAKU International Journal of Interdisciplinary Research (PSAKUIJIR), 4(2): 1_10. [Link]
Larsson, H., Rämgård, M., Kumlien, C., & Blomqvist, K. (2020). Spouses' existential loneliness when caring for a frail partner late in life - a hermeneutical approach. International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being, 15(1): 1_10. [Link]
Lantz, J., & Gregoire, T. (2000). Existantial psychotherapy with couples facing breast cancer: A twenty year report. Contemporary Family Therapy, 22(3): 315_327. [Link]
Malik, N., Nawaz, Y., Mehmood, B., Riaz, F., Mushtaq, S. K., & Khan, M. I. (2014). Causes and Consequences of Extra-Marital Relations in Married Women: A Case Study of Darulaman Sargodha. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 5(23): 2044_2053. [Link]
Muniruzzaman, M. D. (2017). Transformation of intimacy and its impact in developing countries. Life Sciences, Society and Policy, 13(1): 10_20. [Link]
Newport, F., & Himelfarb, I. (2013). In U.S., Record-High Say Gay, Lesbian Relations Morally OK: Americans’ Tolerance of a Number of Moral Issues up since 2001.” Gallup Politics, May 20, 2013. Retrieved July 7, 2014. [Link]
Palencia, A. R., Rivera-Aragón, S., & Díaz-Loving, R. (2007). Desarrollo del inventario multidimensional de infidelidad (IMIN). Revista Iberoamericana de Diagnóstico Y Evaluación Psicológíca, 23(1): 121-147. [Link]
Selterman, D., Garcia, J. R., & Tsapelas, I. (2019). Motivations for extra dyadic infidelity revisited. The Journal of Sex Research, 56(3): 273_286. [Link]
Scheeren, P., Apellániz, I. d. A. M. d., & Wagner, A. (2018). Marital infidelity: The experience of men and women. Trends in Psychology, 26(1): 355-369. [Link]
Schumacher, M. M. (2015). The Meaning of Freedom and the Redefinition of Marriage. Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture 18(3): 113-122. [Link]
Wróblewska-Skrzek, J. (2021). Infidelity in relation to sex and gender: The perspective of sociobiology versus the perspective of sociology of emotions. Sexuality & Culture, 25(5), 1885-1894. [Link]
Yeniceri, Z., & Kokdemir, D. (2006). University students' perceptions of, and explanations for, infidelity: The development of the Infidelity Questionnaire (INFQ). Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 34(6): 639-650. [Link]

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics