Have you ever noticed that instead of sharing, you and your partner check their cell phones during the time you spend together? This behavior has become quite common. New technological devices and the large number of social networks that have been developed allow new ways of connecting that favor frequent contact. This new reality brings with it pros and cons to interpersonal relationships and one of the aspects that takes on a new relevance in this context is the issue of fidelity. Did the idea that your partner cheats on you on WhatsApp cross your head? In this article by Psychology-Online, we are going to talk to you about some behaviors that you could consider as signs warning. Let's see how to know if your partner is cheating on you on WhatsApp.
Index
- Infidelity on social media
- How do you know if your partner is cheating on you on social media?
- How to know if your partner is talking to someone else
- What to do when faced with an infidelity
Infidelity in social networks.
From a sociological framework, Tania Rodríguez Salazar (2020) highlights that the concept of fidelity varies throughout history and in different societies. In the romantic imaginary of the West, monogamous relationships - sexual and emotionally exclusive - constitute the sociocultural ideal. Therefore, fidelity is usually one of the most valued aspects in couple relationships, as it provides a state of mind particular that ensures the durability of the bond, regardless of the passage of time or the change of the initial forces that gave rise to the relationship.
The incorporation of digital media brought with it new forms of infidelity. Social networks, such as WhatsApp, are communication channels that facilitate the possibility of getting involved with others people in romantic terms and promote more uninhibited forms of interaction compared to contexts face-to-face. These conditions give rise to the creation of intimate links and have made it common to fall in love, flirt, cheat and even send messages, audios, photos or videos with sexual content (sexting). Elements of the romantic love, such as imagination, fantasy and the idealization of the other, are intensified through digital media.
The virtual or cyber infidelity, infidelity through the internet is difficult to define. There are still questions about the types of behavior that couples consider as infidelity on the internet. Couples develop rules about behaviors that are acceptable and unacceptableBut often these rules are not stated and it is assumed that the couple shares their own beliefs. There are different definitions of cyber-infidelity, but, in general terms, they all integrate as unfaithful acts any act that is hidden from the partner and that takes time, energy or quality away from the activities carried out with the primary partner. Frank Pittman and Tina Wagers (2005) explained that the primary sign of infidelity is the concealment of conduct.
How do you know if your partner is cheating on you on social media?
The behaviors generally associated with infidelity on the internet are cybersex, sexting, dating, flirting and watch pornography. Some studies have evaluated that the negative impact of cyber infidelity in the primary relationship is less than the impact of offline infidelity due to the absence of physical contact. Other studies found that actions that are not sexual in nature, such as sharing secrets, expressing concern, or communicating on a daily basis, have the potential to generate conflict.
How to know if your partner is unfaithful on WhatsApp? Next, we will see the behaviors related to cyber infidelity.
Although there are ways to investigate possible infidelities on WhatsApp by directly reviewing the couple's application, incurring This type of action can be harmful and could increase the level of anxiety that the mere suspicion of a deception produces. For this reason, we offer information on some studies that have focused on identifying behaviors that could be associated with infidelity through social networks.
On the one hand, Juan A. González Rivera (2019) developed an inventory with the objective of measuring the impact of social networks on the well-being of monogamous couples in Puerto Rico and Latin America. This instrument is the Brief Inventory of Behaviors Related to Infidelity in Social Networks (ICRIRS) and consists of eight items focused on ambiguous behaviors, this means that they could be associated with a cyber infidelity, but that could also be explained by other reasons or terms. The behaviors that the inventory examines are:
- Discomfort if the couple read their conversations
- Security of what the couple would bother if you examine your messages
- Hide conversations or contents
- Greater emotional intimacy with other people on social media than with your partner
- Irritation if the partner questions you about who you share with on social media
- Prefer that your partner does not have access to your social networks nor to the cell phone.
How to know if your partner is talking to someone else.
On the other hand, Jaclyn D. Cravens, Kaitlin R. Leckie and Jason B. Whiting (2013) distinguishes various warning signs when examining the accounts of people who experienced cyber infidelity by their partners. The identified warning signs are observable behaviors that consist of verbal or non-verbal cues and can be divided into three subtopics. Let's see 3 signs or tricks to know if your partner is cheating on you on WhatsApp. Online infidelity is likely if you detect the following:
Presence of an intuition or hunch
The partner, who is not involved in the cheating, often comments on an underlying feeling that he translates as the idea that something is wrong in the relationship. Study participants define it as a gut feeling, a bad feeling, and some women as female intuition.
Change in behavior
Changes appear in the behavior of the couple, before or during the time in which the infidelity occurs. Some examples of these changes are:
- Spend more and more time on WhatsApp
- Weightloss
- Buy new clothes
- Shows resentment towards your partner
Secrecy
In addition to the general change in behavior, there is a particular tendency to hide things. Some examples include:
- Close internet windows in order to hide them from your partner when you enter the room
- Hide messages or conversations
- Lack of communication
- Prefer that the couple does not have access to their social networks or cell phones
- Password changes
- New limitations on access to technological devices such as keying the phone
What to do before an infidelity.
The suspicion that your partner is cheating you on WhatsApp is surely due to the appearance of new behaviors. By detecting these new behaviors, your emotional response is likely to set off alarms taking the form of a gut feeling. Many of the behaviors mentioned are characterized by their ambiguity, this means that they are not clear or definitive signs of an infidelity. One way to deal with this ambiguity is to try communicate with your partner and express your concerns clearly and directly. If you think that you lack tools to face this situation, do not stop considering the option of asking for help from a specialist in couple therapy.
In the following articles, you will find more information about How to act in the face of infidelity and What feelings a person experiences who has been unfaithful.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to know if your partner is cheating on you on WhatsApp, we recommend that you enter our category of Couple therapy.
Bibliography
- Cravens, J. D., Leckie, K. R., & Whiting, J. B. (2013). Facebook infidelity: When poking becomes problematic. Contemporary Family Therapy, 35(1), 74-90. DOI: 10.1007 / s10591-012-9231-5
- Rivera, J. TO. G. (2019). Behaviors related to infidelity in Social Networks: validation and psychometric study. Psychological Reports, 19(2), 43-51 http://dx.doi.org/10.18566/infpsic.v19n2a03
- Salazar, T. R. (2020). Infidelity on the internet: an overview of the phenomenon and its investigation. Digithum, (25) https://doi.org/10.7238/d.v0i225.3209
