Realistic Factors for Marital Infidelity in a Story, Present Day USA.

Exactly What It Says on the Tin.

Primarily interested in what it would take to seduce away a Happily Married couple appart but scenarios where moral fiber wasn't an issue welcome.

Factors like finance, children, extended family, religious orientation, politics and social norms welcome.

Well, if you want to bring out the big guns, there's always mental illness.

Caring for your partner full-time can be a massive emotional drain, and it's not uncommon for the carer in question to seek out a bit of happiness on the side. Especially when the person you see every day is no longer the person you married.

Two people who simply drift apart and one (or both) of them recapture some sort of chemistry with another person. An ex-lover is a very good third party, because much of the time, they invoke a sense of nostalgic longing. Whether the third party intentionally did it can be ambiguous.

Real life examples are found in Friends Reunited/Facebook, where someone has 'friended' an old boy/girlfriend, and the relationship restarted.

@ laculus *whistles* Yeah, that's big.

Was actually just expecting a lot of little nudges (whatever the hell those would have been) to Infidelity.

It's simple, really: people grow apart. It's not surprising for a couple to just not love each other anymore, and from there it's just a short jump to someone who makes you feel the way your spouse did, way back when...

As someone who's been cheated on, I think it often generally comes down to one person not being satisfied. My fiance was dissatisfied with our sex life. She's a much more sexual person than I am. So she had sex with someone else and broke up with me. It was that simple.

There really doesn't need to be a big reason behind it.

This is actually a bit of a surprise to me.

In the typical US marriage, I always thought it would be the male that would be easier to seduce/break.

@Tiamatty:sorry bro.

@OP: There is always the Incompatible Orientation trope. A gay man or women in a conservative community might be married to to keep up appearances and genuinely love their partner. But they would have a desire to be with members of the same sex even if they dare not admitted to themselves.

I wouldn't advise in doing it but unless you pretty confident as it's a bit of a Unfortunate Implications minefield if your not careful.

People belonging to a religion that forbids divorce might be more likely to cheat if they find themselves attracted to someone other than their partner, since they don't have the option to just break up and remarry.

Obviously, this isn't true across the board, but it's one factor as to why someone would have an affair instead of just ending their relationship and starting a new one.

If Marital Infidelity was a goal, and assuming the couple were Happily Married, how would one (or an army of agents) incite Infidelity?

In the fastest, most efficient, most elegant, or most elaborate manner. (Style counts after all.)

(This should have been the title.)

Well, I've read that the number one reason for infidelity, at least for men, is the "girlfriend experience," which is to say that while their spouse seems bored with them, the extra-marital partner seems genuinely interested in them and enthusiastic to be with them which, you know, makes them feel good. Don't know if "happily married" can incoporate the kind of ennui that would lead to this, though...

Something which can happen is lust. The meng has supposedly found the woman of his dreams.. and yet she (alone) isn't good enough for him; so he covets other women, preferably in secret - for the renewed thrill of seduction, for voyeuring misadventures. Is it jealousy that lingers in his heart, driving him off the marriage rails? Boredom?

Or is it that his wife - confiding in him about a fantasy she's had with a naval officer - it is revealed that a woman's heart, even under marriage, still remains full of secrets, which sends our hero (and a Real Human Being!) off on his own infidelity quest around New York City, until he finds himself satisfied by topping his wife's fantasies somehow..

Or that on either side of the marriage, the husband/wife come to the revelation that their innate flaws would threaten to overthrow what happiness was promised. All work and no play made Jack a dull boy, and Clarice was a nervous wreck of Woody Allen proportions.

It may depend on their instinctive drives priority: the need for practicality, sociality and union - and if it doesn't get satisfied. Of course, if you're looking to incite suspicion in an already healthy marriage, you'll need at least one of the partners to react not-so-goodly upon hints of cheating.

edited 7th Apr '12 11:52:01 PM by QQQQQ

1) Thanks for the tips.

2) That's kind of the point actually.

IF the couple were NOT Happily Married, it would be too easy to cause Infidelity, and thus, an uniteresting read.

A genuinely happy, commited, loving couple who meant to honor their vows though, are a greater challenge.

Something that would be a true challenge for Femme Fatals or Suave Seducer to break appart.

OK, why is it so important that one of them be seduced into an affair? If their marriage is rock-solid, wouldn't it be easier to get leverage on them some other way?

/OK, why is it so important that one of them be seduced into an affair? If their marriage is rock-solid, wouldn't it be easier to get leverage on them some other way? /

Mainly for the challenge I suppose.

Creating WILLFUL Infidelity in a Rock Solid marriage is mark of a Master Seducer, Magnificent Bastard/Bitch.

Something that can be boasted as an accomplishment because its so damn diffcult to do. Specially considering the Power of Love and all that.

edited 8th Apr '12 12:49:21 PM by Natasel

Ah, so there's no greater objective, just a Casanova out for some fun? Fair enough. 'Army of agents' suggested some ulterior motive - you usually need one of those to convince a large group of people to try to break up one couple.

I figure an army of agents would make things easier.

Even James Bond could probably use a little help every now and then when he has to seduce someone.

Like those (in)famous KGB Seductress Spies.

Just tossing naked women saying "Me Love You Long Time!" at the Husband or suave Secret Agents in Tuxes at the Wife is probably not going to work in a Happily Married Scenario.

It seems odd, would likely cause paranoia and may backfire as Husband and Wife may band togther in the face of such weirdness.

A mastermind with the expertise, time and experience to direct the Agents though, could probably pull this off.

How he does this, what strategies, tactics and approaches used is key.

And I have very little clue as to what those are.

edited 8th Apr '12 3:34:04 PM by Natasel

If we're talking about someone who's actively trying to incite infidelity, that's a somewhat different question from your original one - and it's one where "they can't" becomes a possible answer.

True, but that's the best I could word it

"They can't" is so sweet.

I'd still like to see an attempt though.

Nothing like a full on seige led be a brilliant mastermind with insane resources to test the defence of Fortress Fidelity.

edited 8th Apr '12 3:33:03 PM by Natasel

Husband has a specific kink/fetich that he was unwilling to tell Wife about, and Seductress finds out and tells him that she's totally willing to go for said kink/fetish.

*Chuckles* Is the kink being unfaithful to his wife?

Cause I can see how this would be an akward topic to discuss with his wife.