Are There Justifications for Cheating?

Cheating has affected many of us at one time or another and many of us have ourselves cheated at one time or another. Many of us feel guilty about cheating whilst some of us think it is acceptable under certain circumstances. With that in mind we look at the question of whether there are justifications for cheating.
Many people think that there are no acceptable justifications for cheating. This is in many ways the dominant opinion in society and the media. In most circumstances there are many better courses of action than cheating and if you are considering cheating you should probably try some of the following courses of action and ask yourself some questions.

1. Ask yourself why you want to cheat or are cheating?
If you are cheating because you are unhappy with your relationship or are cheating because you want to leave your partner but don’t know how then you should really try talking to your partner as a first avenue. This will cause less harm to you and your current partner in the long run so you should try your utmost to communicate first.

2. Are you under a lot of stress or pressure?
Cheating is often caused by stress and pressure in our lives and if this is something you are being affected by then you might want to try something other than a new relationship. It might be the case that there are some things you might want to work on yourself before you decide to cheat.

3. Do you have problems with commitment and trust?
This is another common cause of infidelity and if this is something you suffer from then you should work on these issues with your partner in order to overcome them. Lack of communication is one of the most common reasons for infidelity and it is something that can be worked on and improve your relationship.

4. Is your relationship salvageable?
If your relationship isn’t salvageable then you might be impelled to cheat as you can’t face actually ending your current relationship. For many people cheating acts as a catalyst to ending a relationship and this, whilst not the least harmful course of action can be a common though unfortunate justification for cheating.

In most of these situations talking to your current partner can usually resolve the issues or at least end the relationship without causing additional harm. However, there are also a number of other occasion when cheating can occur that challenge the conventional wisdom on cheating.
Many people cheat for a number of reasons that transcend a more simple reason. Common causes of these kinds of infidelity are loveless marriages, family and child commitments and situations where someone’s partner is unable to have sexual intimacy for a variety of reasons. In these situations we might excuse someone for cheating on the grounds that it can cause more difficulties if they admit to their infidelities. These cases make the minority of cases but we would still recommend talking first if possible and only acting after thinking carefully about all your options.