Top 5 Signs Your Partner Cheating

These are the top 5 signs that indicate a relationship is at risk of an affair.

1. Secrecy

   Cheating is defined as when there is a transgression that goes against the relational contract, it can be physical or emotional, but at the very core of an affair is secrecy, you may find indicators of evasive behaviour or outright lies. The difference between secrecy and privacy is, with secrecy there is an intention to withhold. It’s secrecy that leads to broken trust and betrayal.

2. Neglect

   When a partner turns to others outside of the relationship rather than their partner, it’s a signal of mistrust in the relationship. We want partners who are accessible, responsive and engaged, and if we can’t get that with our partner then we would likely look elsewhere to have this need fulfilled. Neglect creates the yearning for emotional connection.

3. Negative comparisons

   Also known as “trashing” your partner, which is when you maximise the negative qualities whilst minimising the positive qualities of your partner, as opposed to “cherishing” your partner, which is the opposite, to maximise the positive qualities whilst minimising the negative qualities. When partners are constantly making negative comparisons of their partner with third parties outside the relationship this breaks down the commitment in the relationship, as positive sentiment in the relationship is eventually shattered.

4. Loneliness

   If you’re feeling lonely, your partner must be feeling lonely too. The loneliest one will ever feel is lonely in relationship. Being alone is different to feeling lonely. Being alone is not having others within your physical proximity, feeling lonely is a psychological state of not feeling understood. This is a fundamental emotional need that connects us to our intimate partner, and when we don’t have this then an affair partner may fill that void instead.

5. Unresolved problems

   Many affairs occur when a relationship endures problems that are seemingly unable to be resolved between the couple and continue to cause pain. As a result, one partner ventures beyond the relationship to “find a solution” to that problem in order to stop the hurt. It’s a resolution to a seemingly unresolvable problem.