Emotional and Sexual Components of Extramarital Relations

Three types of extramarital relations were investigated: (a) emotional (in love) but not sexual (intercourse), (b) sexual (intercourse) but not emotional (in love), and (c) emotional (in love) and sexual (intercourse). Forty-three percent of a sample of 378 married and cohabiting subjects indicated having at least one of the defined extradyadic relations. Subject attitudes and expectations differed depending upon the emotional and/or sexual nature of an extra relationship. Results revealed some sex differences, although male and female responses were generally more similar than dissimilar. Comparisons between the responses of subjects who were not extradyadically involved and those who were revealed information about the process of involvement in extra relations.