Your Cheatin' Heart: Attitudes, Behaviors, and Correlates of Sexual Betrayal in Late Adolescents

This study examines relations between self-reported acts of sexual betrayal against a romantic partner and three groups of correlates: acceptance of betrayal under a variety of different circumstances, sexual and intimacy variables, and demographic variables. Participants included 417 students at community, public, and private colleges in Northern California who had been in a romantic relationship. Results indicate that although acceptance of betrayal is extremely low, the incidence of betrayal is nevertheless quite high, occurring in more than one third of the sample. The acceptance of betrayal varied with the circumstances under which betrayal occurred. Betrayal was more acceptable in a bad relationship or when there was a magnetic attraction to a new partner than when the perpetrators were being vindictive or were certain they would not get caught. Betrayal behavior was significantly correlated with sexual and intimacy variables including attitudes to betrayal, sexual permissiveness, early onset of sex...