Abstract
Cheating—a general term for extradyadic romantic or sexual behavior that violates expectations in a committed romantic relationship—is common and leads to a number of poor outcomes. Religion has historically influenced conceptions of romantic relationships, but societal attitudes about religion are in flux as many seek to retain spirituality even as affiliations with formal religion decrease. The present study evaluated a potential predictor of cheating that is more spiritual than formally religious, the “psychospiritual” concept of relationship sanctification (i.e., the idea that one’s relationship itself is sacred). In a sample of college students in committed relationships (N = 716), we found that higher levels of self-reported relationship sanctification were associated with a lower likelihood of both physical and emotional cheating even when accounting for plausible alternate explanations (general religiosity, problematic alcohol use, and trait self-control). This association was mediated via permissive sexual attitudes; specifically, higher levels of sanctification were associated with less permissive sexual attitudes which, in turn, predicted a lower likelihood of emotional and physical cheating.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
For example, in one of the foundational papers on this topic, a scale that asked whether participants saw God manifest in their marriage had a mean of 67 for men and 72 for women on a scale that ranged from 14 to 98. Similarly, on a scale that assessed whether participants perceived marriage as sacred the mean was 44 for women and 46 for men on a scale that ranged from 9 to 63 (Mahoney et al., 1999).
We initially intended to use all three items from the SOI-R attitudes scale, but in our first wave of data collection Item 3 from the SOI was used and in the second wave of data collection Item 3 from the SOI-R (a different item) was used. Thus, we elected to use only two items.
References
Amato, P. R., & Previti, D. (2003). People’s reasons for divorcing: Gender, social class, the life course, and adjustment. Journal of Family Issues,24, 602–626. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X03254507.
Amato, P. R., & Rogers, S. J. (1997). A longitudinal study of marital problems and subsequent divorce. Journal of Marriage and the Family,59, 612–624. https://doi.org/10.2307/353949.
Arnett, J. J. (2000). Emerging adulthood. A theory of development from the late teens through the twenties. American Psychologist,55, 469–480. https://doi.org/10.2307/41613313?ref=no-x-route:8aa47aeae636a935d88525be3ad36514.
Atkins, D. C., Baucom, D. H., & Jacobson, N. S. (2001). Understanding infidelity: Correlates in a national random sample. Journal of Family Psychology,15, 735–749. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.15.4.735.
Atkins, D. C., & Kessel, D. E. (2008). Religiousness and infidelity: Attendance, but not faith and prayer, predict marital fidelity. Journal of Marriage and Family,70, 407–418. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2008.00490.x.
Atwood, J. D., & Seifer, M. (1997). Extramarital affairs and constructed meanings: A social constructionist therapeutic approach. American Journal of Family Therapy,25, 55–75. https://doi.org/10.1080/01926189708251055.
Barta, W. D., & Kiene, S. M. (2005). Motivations for infidelity in heterosexual dating couples: The roles of gender, personality differences, and sociosexual orientation. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships,22, 339–360. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407505052440.
Blow, A. J., & Hartnett, K. (2005). Infidelity in committed relationships II: A substantive review. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 31, 217–233. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-0606.2005.tb01556.x.
Braithwaite, S., & Holt-Lunstad, J. (2017). Romantic relationships and mental health. Current Opinion in Psychology,13, 120–125. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.04.001.
Braithwaite, S. R., Lambert, N. M., Fincham, F. D., & Pasley, K. (2010). Does college-based relationship education decrease extradyadic involvement in relationships? Journal of Family Psychology,24, 740–745. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0021759.
Brand, R. J., Markey, C. M., Mills, A., & Hodges, S. D. (2007). Sex differences in self-reported infidelity and its correlates. Sex Roles,57, 101–109. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-007-9221-5.
Brelsford, G. M., Luquis, R., & Murray-Swank, N. A. (2011). College students’ permissive sexual attitudes: Links to religiousness and spirituality. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion,21, 127–136. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508619.2011.557005.
Burdette, A. M., Ellison, C. G., Sherkat, D. E., & Gore, K. A. (2007). Are there religious variations in marital infidelity? Journal of Family Issues,28, 1553–1581. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X07304269.
Butler, M. H., & Harper, J. M. (1994). The divine triangle: God in the marital system of religious couples. Family Process,33, 277–286. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1545-5300.1994.00277.x.
Dollahite, D. C., & Lambert, N. M. (2007). Forsaking all others: How religious involvement promotes marital fidelity in Christian, Jewish, and Muslim couples. Review of Religious Research,48, 290–307.
Drigotas, S. M., Safstrom, C. A., & Gentilia, T. (1999). An investment model prediction of dating infidelity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 509–524.
Dush, C. M. K., & Amato, P. R. (2005). Consequences of relationship status and quality for subjective well-being. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships,22, 607–627. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407505056438.
Edwards, J. N., & Booth, A. (1976). Sexual behavior in and out of marriage: An assessment of correlates. Journal of Marriage and the Family,38, 73–81. https://doi.org/10.2307/350551.
Esselmont, C., & Bierman, A. (2014). Marital formation and infidelity: An examination of the multiple roles of religious factors. Sociology of Religion,75, 463–487. https://doi.org/10.1093/socrel/sru036.
Feldman, S. S., & Cauffman, E. (1999). Your cheatin’ heart: Attitudes, behaviors, and correlates of sexual betrayal in late adolescents. Journal of Research on Adolescence,9, 227–252. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327795jra0903_1.
Fincham, F. D., Lambert, N. M., & Beach, S. R. H. (2010). Faith and unfaithfulness: Can praying for your partner reduce infidelity? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,99, 649–659. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019628.
Fincham, F. D., & May, R. W. (2017). Infidelity in romantic relationships. Current Opinion in Psychology,13, 70–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copsyc.2016.03.008.
Frisco, M. L., Wenger, M. R., & Kreager, D. A. (2017). Extradyadic sex and union dissolution among young adults in opposite-sex married and cohabiting unions. Social Science Research,62, 291–304. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssresearch.2016.08.013.
Geiger, A., & Livingston, G. (2018) 8 facts about love and marriage in America. Pew Research Center, Washington, DC. Retrieved December 6, 2019, from http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/02/13/8-facts-about-love-and-marriage/.
Gerrard, M., Gibbons, F. X., & Bushman, B. J. (1996). Relation between perceived vulnerability to HIV and precautionary sexual behavior. Psychological Bulletin,119, 390–409. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.119.3.390.
Greeley, A. (1994). Marital infidelity. Society,31(4), 9–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02693241.
Hall, J. H., & Fincham, F. D. (2009). Psychological distress: Precursor or consequence of dating infidelity? Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin,35, 143–159. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167208327189.
Hansen, G. L. (1987). Extradyadic relations during courtship. Journal of Sex Research,23, 382–390. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224498709551376.
Lauer, E. F. (1985). The holiness of marriage: Some new perspectives from recent sacramental theology. Studies in Formative Spirituality,6, 215–226.
Laumann, E. O., Gagnon, J. H., Michael, R. T., & Michaels, S. (1994). The social organization of sexuality: Sexual practices in the United States. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Maddock, J. E., Laforge, R. G., Rossi, J. S., & O’Hare, T. (2001). The College Alcohol Problems Scale. Addictive Behaviors,26, 385–398. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4603(00)00116-7.
Mahoney, A., Pargament, K. I., Jewell, T., Swank, A. B., Scott, E., Emery, E., & Rye, M. (1999). Marriage and the spiritual realm: The role of proximal and distal religious constructs in marriage functioning. Journal of Family Psychology,13, 321–338. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.13.3.321.
Mahoney, A., Pargament, K. I., Murray-Swank, A., & Murray-Swank, N. (2001). Religion and the sanctification of family relationships. Review of Religious Research,40, 220–236. https://doi.org/10.2307/3512384.
McAlister, A., Pachana, N., & Jackson, C. (2005). Predictors of young dating adults’ inclination to engage in extradyadic sexual activities: A multi-perspective study. British Journal of Psychology,96, 331–350. https://doi.org/10.1348/000712605X47936.
McAnulty, R. D., & Brineman, J. M. (2007). Infidelity in dating relationships. Annual Review of Sex Research,18, 94–114. https://doi.org/10.1080/10532528.2007.10559848.
Murray, K. M., Ciarrocchi, J. W., & Murray-Swank, N. A. (2007). Spirituality, religiosity, shame and guilt as predictors of sexual attitudes and experiences. Journal of Psychology & Theology,35, 222–234.
Murray-Swank, N. A., Pargament, K. I., & Mahoney, A. (2005). At the crossroads of sexuality and spirituality: The sanctification of sex by college students. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion,15, 199–219. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327582ijpr1503_2.
Negash, S., Cui, M., Fincham, F., & Pasley, K. (2014). Extradyadic involvement and relationship dissolution in heterosexual women university students. Archives of Sexual Behavior,43, 531–539. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0213-y.
Pargament, K. I., & Mahoney, A. (2005). Sacred matters: Sanctification as a vital topic for the psychology of religion. International Journal for the Psychology of Religion,15, 179–198. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327582ijpr1503_1.
Penke, L., & Asendorpf, J. B. (2008). Beyond global sociosexual orientations: A more differentiated look at sociosexuality and its effects on courtship and romantic relationships. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology,95, 1113–1135. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.95.5.1113.
Pereira, M. G., Taysi, E., Orcan, F., & Fincham, F. (2014). Attachment, infidelity, and loneliness in college students involved in a romantic relationship: The role of relationship satisfaction, morbidity, and prayer for partner. Contemporary Family Therapy,36, 333–350. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-013-9289-8.
Pew Research Center. (2014). Religious landscape study. Retrieved December 6, 2019, from http://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/.
Pomerleau, J., Wong, S., & Mahoney, A. (2015, April). Sanctification: A meta-analytic review. Society for the Psychology of Religion and Spirituality Newsletter (pp. 1–4). https://www.bgsu.edu/content/dam/BGSU/college-of-arts-and-sciences/psychology/psy-spirit-fam-mahoney/Sanctification%20Poster%20Handout%204-15.pdf.
Public Religion Research Institute. (2017). New survey: One in five Americans are spiritual but not religious. Retrieved December 6, 2019, from https://www.prri.org/press-release/new-survey-one-five-americans-spiritual-not-religious/.
Rodrigues, D., Lopes, D., & Pereira, M. (2017). Sociosexuality, commitment, sexual infidelity, and perceptions of infidelity: Data from the second love web site. Journal of Sex Research,54, 241–253. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2016.1145182.
Rusbult, C. E., & Buunk, B. P. (1993). Commitment processes in close relationships: An interdependence analysis. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships,10, 175–204. https://doi.org/10.1177/026540759301000202.
Rusu, P. P., Hilpert, P., Beach, S. H., Turliuc, M. N., & Bodenmann, G. (2015). Dyadic coping mediates the association of sanctification with marital satisfaction and well-being. Journal of Family Psychology,29, 843–849. https://doi.org/10.1037/fam0000108.
Seedall, R., Houghtaling, A., & Wilkins, E. (2013). Disclosing extra-dyadic involvement (EDI): Understanding attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. Contemporary Family Therapy,35, 745–759. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10591-013-9243-9.
Selterman, D., & Koleva, S. (2015). Moral judgment of close relationship behaviors. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships,32, 922–945. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407514554513.
Shrout, P. E., & Bolger, N. (2002). Mediation in experimental and nonexperimental studies: New procedures and recommendations. Psychological Methods,7, 422–445. https://doi.org/10.1037//1082-989X.7.4.422.
South, S., & Lloyd, K. M. (1995). Spousal alternatives and marital dissolution. American Sociological Review,60, 21–35. https://doi.org/10.2307/2096343.
Stafford, L. (2016). Marital sanctity, relationship maintenance, and marital quality. Journal of Family Issues,37, 119–131. https://doi.org/10.1177/0192513X13515884.
Stafford, L., David, P., & McPherson, S. (2014). Sanctity of marriage and marital quality. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships,31, 54–70. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407513486975.
Stanley, S., Trathen, D., McCain, D., & Bryan, M. (1998). A lasting promise: A Christian guide to fighting for your marriage. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Swank, A. B., Mahoney, A., & Pargament, K. I. (2000, August). A sacred trust: Parenting and the spiritual realm. Paper presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Washington, DC.
Tangney, J. P., Baumeister, R. F., & Boone, A. L. (2004). High self-control predicts good adjustment, less pathology, better grades, and interpersonal success. Journal of Personality,72, 271–324. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-3506.2004.00263.x.
Tarakeshwar, N., Pargament, K., & Mahoney, A. (2003). Initial development of a measure of religious coping among Hindus. Journal of Community Psychology,31, 607–628. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.10071.
Thompson, A. E., & O’Sullivan, L. F. (2016). Drawing the line: The development of a comprehensive assessment of infidelity judgments. Journal of Sex Research,53, 910–926. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2015.1062840.
Treas, J., & Giesen, D. (2000). Sexual infidelity among married and cohabiting Americans. Journal of Marriage and Family,62, 48–60. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-3737.2000.00048.x.
Treger, S., & Sprecher, S. (2011). The influences of sociosexuality and attachment style on reactions to emotional versus sexual infidelity. Journal of Sex Research,48, 413–422. https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2010.516845.
Tuttle, J. D., & Davis, S. N. (2015). Religion, infidelity, and divorce: Reexamining the effect of religious behavior on divorce among long-married couples. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage,56, 475–489. https://doi.org/10.1080/10502556.2015.1058660.
U.S. Census Bureau. (2014). New census bureau statistics show how young adults today compare with previous generations in neighborhoods nationwide. Retrieved August 30, 2018 from: https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2014/cb14-219.html
Vail-Smith, K., Whetstone, L. M., & Knox, D. (2010). The illusion of safety in monogamous undergraduate relationships. American Journal of Health Behavior,34, 12–20. https://doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.34.1.2.
Weaver, A. D., MacKeigan, K. L., & MacDonald, H. A. (2011). Experiences and perceptions of young adults in friends with benefits relationships: A qualitative study. Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality,20, 41–53.
Whisman, M. A., Gordon, K. C., & Chatav, Y. (2007). Predicting sexual infidelity in a population-based sample of married individuals. Journal of Family Psychology,21, 320–324. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.21.2.320.
Whisman, M. A., & Snyder, D. K. (2007). Sexual infidelity in a national survey of American women: Differences in prevalence and correlates as a function of method of assessment. Journal of Family Psychology,21, 147–154. https://doi.org/10.1037/0893-3200.21.2.147.
Wiederman, M. W., & Hurd, C. (1999). Extradyadic involvement during dating. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships,16, 265–274. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407599162008.
Wiggins, J. D., & Lederer, D. A. (1984). Differential antecedents of infidelity in marriage. American Mental Health Counselors Association Journal,6, 152–161.
Wilkins, A. C., & Dalessandro, C. (2013). Monogamy lite: Cheating, college, and women. Gender and Society,7, 728–751. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243213483878.
Zinnbauer, B. J., Pargament, K. I., & Scott, A. B. (1999). The emerging meanings of religiousness and spirituality: Problems and prospects. Journal of Personality,67, 889–919. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6494.00077.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The author declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Ethical Approval
University IRB approval of methods was obtained before data collection.
Informed Consent
All participants completed an informed consent before participation.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
McAllister, P., Henderson, E., Maddock, M. et al. Sanctification and Cheating Among Emerging Adults. Arch Sex Behav 49, 1177–1188 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01657-3
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01657-3