Few things in life hurt as much as a betrayal. When we place our trust in someone who does not keep their word, the disappointment penetrates to the depths of our being. In this way, all the illusions and dreams that we had at some point vanish completely. This fact can occur in various areas, such as work, family ties or relationships, among others.
Likewise, betrayal and infidelity are something so common in our society that we can even find them in a large number of series and film productions. However, it is important to know the effects of love betrayals on mental health. In this Psychology-Online article, we will provide you with information about the consequences of psychological damage due to infidelity.
Index
- mistrust of other people
- Guilty feeling
- Distress
- Social isolation
- Insomnia
- fluctuating mood
- Low self-esteem
- Eating disorders
- Jealousy
- Lack of sexual pleasure
Mistrust of other people.
When a loved one has committed an infidelity, our trust towards other people also tends to decrease. This distrust is a consequence of the breaking of the agreement based on establishing a monogamous bond. In other words, in most cases infidelity is directly linked to the fact of having an affective and sexual relationship with only one person. Therefore, if one of the members of the couple commits infidelity, there is a good chance that the other person will tend to
Guilty feeling.
Another of the manifestations that can appear after discovering infidelity is the feeling of guilt. In this case, the person who was deceived she believes she is responsible for what happened for not having carried out certain actions or changing aspects of her person during the relationship.
This translates into a deep sense of guilt that invades life and affects daily relationships. For example, a person may think that she suffered an infidelity because she was not attentive enough during the relationship. Also, on many occasions, the feeling of guilt can be a way to avoid holding the other person responsible for the act they committed.
Distress.
The feeling of emptiness is usually one of the most common reactions after an infidelity. This corresponds to the fact of thinking that there is no possibility of establishing a future relationship without infidelity. Similarly, anguish can be accompanied by the belief that infidelity occurs in almost all love relationships.
Social isolation.
If the love relationship had a very high intensity and infidelity occurs, one of the ways to react to the psychological damage caused is to socially isolate oneself from the person's environmentunfaithful. While it is true that distrust is usually directed at the person who committed the infidelity, in many cases it is also It is likely that these feelings expand to the environment of which the unfaithful person is a part, such as her friends or family.
Insomnia.
Another of the consequences of psychological damage due to infidelity is the presence of sleep disturbances. In general, the obstacles that prevent adequate rest intensify and become more visible after the disappointment in love has occurred, since the recurring thoughts about it intensify when it comes to sleep.
Fluctuating mood.
Even though the mood swing It is a frequent phenomenon in many people, these changes tend to increase in cases of infidelity, since they can seriously affect their feelings. One of the most common reactions consists of the fluctuation between moments of states of anger towards others of intense sadness.
Low self-esteem.
The fact that a person is deceived by another usually produces a low self-esteem. In other words, in cases of infidelity the victim may feel that his qualities are of little value versus other people's. Therefore, feelings of inferiority may arise or increase after going through this situation.
Eating disorders.
There is a strong relationship between what we eat and our personality. On some occasions, the difficulty in processing certain feelings can be reflected through difficulties in eating food. For this reason, eating disorders are another of the consequences that infidelity can cause, and that can be characterized by excess food, lack of appetite, among others.
It should be noted that the presence of any warning signs that may suggest an eating disorder should always be evaluated by a mental health professional.
If you want to know more about this topic you can consult Types of eating disorders and their characteristics.
Jealousy.
The appearance of jealousy is another of the manifestations that are generated in these situations and show lack of security. In this way, people who have experienced infidelity can feel a great deal of insecurity after discovering the deception.
Lack of sexual pleasure.
The sexual factor usually influences directly in most relationships. For this reason, when someone is suffering from infidelity, her sexual desire can decrease significantly. Likewise, the decrease in sexual desire can translate into a poor sexual performance or difficulties in achieving focused concentration on the act, among others.
If you are debating between forgiving or not an infidelity you can read Can infidelity be forgiven?.
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 Sequelae of psychological damage due to infidelity, we recommend that you enter our category of Emotions.
Bibliography
- Saldarriaga Guisao, L.M. (2015). Infidelity: A psychic description from a psychoanalytic approach. A case study. Lasallian University Corporation. Faculty of Social Sciences and Education.
- Varela Macedo, M. (2014). Study on infidelity in the couple: Analysis of the content of the literature. Alternatives magazine in psychology, 3 (30), 36-49.
