Types of Betrayal That Can Lead to the End of a Marriage
Marriage is a partnership, and healthy marriages are built on trust, love, and mutual respect. But sometimes unions do not last, particularly when a betrayal leads to doubt, resentment, and separation.
While some couples choose to work to overcome betrayals, others find that the damage is irreparable and move to end the marriage. If you are facing marital betrayal, seek professional guidance, such as marriage counseling or legal advice from a Bucks County family attorney. Then, you can make informed decisions about next steps.
Financial and Emotional Betrayal
When one spouse makes large financial moves, hides significant monetary information, squanders shared assets, or accumulates secret debts, they are committing forms of financial betrayal. This type of betrayal erodes trust, and the other spouse may have to live with financial instability as a result of their actions, leading to marital conflicts.
Other forms of betrayal are emotional, such as a spouse forming a deep emotional connection with someone outside the marriage. This can happen in a range of ways, such as sharing intimate feelings or seeking emotional support from someone other than their partner, regularly and repeatedly over time. While some of these relationships do not involve physical infidelity, the emotional betrayal can be damaging to a marriage.
And of course, infidelity is often viewed as the ultimate betrayal. This is when one partner engages in a romantic or sexual relationship with someone outside the marriage, a breach of trust that is devastating for many couples. While some couples can mend the relationship with the help of a marriage therapist, others find cheating to be a deal-breaker.
Abuse, Addiction, and Deception
Whether it’s physical, emotional, or verbal, abuse is a profound betrayal of trust. Not caring for one another is a violation of marriage vows, and abuse can create a hostile and unsafe environment within the marriage. Abuse can create an unsustainable living situation, and often the dissolution of the marriage is necessary for an individual’s safety and well-being.
And addictions, such as those involving substances like drugs or alcohol, or behavioral addictions like gambling, can be a betrayal. When an addicted partner’s focus is on their addiction, they may neglect their spouse and family responsibilities. This myopic focus on unhealthy behaviors causes immense strain on a relationship.
Some unions involving abuse or addiction also are home to a pattern of lies and deception, and when one partner consistently conceals important information or engages in dishonesty, trust and communication breaks down pushing the marriage towards its end.
Ultimately every individual and marriage is unique, so how a couple chooses to cope in the aftermath of a betrayal will depend on the type of betrayal that occurred and what each spouse wants to have happen next. Talk to a Bucks County family attorney about your legal options, whether you have decided to attempt to heal or have already determined the union should come to an end.
Could divorce be in your future? If marital betrayal has you exhausted and resentful, discuss your goals for the future with the legal team at Kevin L. Hand, P.C. Call 215-968-6602.
