Social and Psychological Aspects of Marital and Non-marital Relationships.

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The proposed study will employ cross-sectional survey data to explore a variety of social and psychological factors associated with marital infidelity. The study has three goals: (1) to develop and test hypotheses linking sexual infidelity to a) sexual values and tastes, b) risks to the primary relationship, and c) opportunities for illicit sex; (2) to investigate well-documented gender differences in sexual infidelity; and (3) to analyze characteristics of secondary sex partners to illuminate gender differences and matching processes. This study integrates piecemeal findings into one theoretical framework. Sexual behavior is considered in the context of decision-making, an approach directing attention to preferences, constraints, and opportunities. From this follows a set of testable hypotheses on the factors associated with infidelity. The 1992 National Survey of Health and Social Life (NSHSL) will provide data. It offers a large, nationally representative sample using several different measures of infidelity. Although the project is motivated by a broad theoretical issues, i.e., the mechanisms which two-party unions use to foster cooperation and manage conflict, the transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases via secondary sex partners underscores the study's pragmatic importance.