Psychology of infidelity in stable relationships

Psychotherapist Branka Grbin from the Sigmund Freud Institute discusses the complexities of infidelity and why it can occur even within seemingly happy marriages. According to Grbin, cheating is not necessarily a symptom of a failing relationship or a lack of love.

Instead, infidelity is often driven by personal factors such as immaturity, impulsivity, a need for validation, a desire for excitement, or an attempt to escape personal emotional voids. Grbin notes that the most significant damage caused by infidelity is often not the physical act itself, but the profound loss of trust and the resulting doubt regarding the authenticity of the entire relationship.