Jaclyn D. Cravens

Clinical Implications of Internet Infidelity: Where Facebook Fits In

The Internet can enhance existing relationships or facilitate the development of new relationships, including illicit ones. Increased research in this area has predominately been on online sexual addiction and pornography, with few about social networking sites. Facebook, a popular social networking site boasting 1.15 billion active users. This article reviews existing literature on Internet infidelity, comparing online activities and Facebook-specific behaviors. Five areas related to Internet infidelity will be explored, such as definitions and the impact on relationships. Although several similarities exist between general Internet and Facebook-specific infidelity, unique differences exist. Implications for future research and clinical practice are presented.

Do you have anything to hide? Infidelity-related behaviors on social media sites and marital satisfaction

Social media provides one route to behaviors that may be potentially harmful to romantic relationships, such as communicating with alternative partners, which can sometimes create relationship conflict, breakups, or divorce. Limited empirical evidence exists concerning social media infidelity-related behaviors and marital relationships. This study examined whether married/cohabiting individuals are using social media sites to engage in online infidelity-related behaviors and to what extent this related to relationship satisfaction, ambivalence, and relational attachment characteristics as reported by 338 married/cohabiting individuals from 176 families. Only a small percentage of married/cohabiting couples reported engaging in social media infidelity-related behaviors; however, more engagement in infidelity-related behaviors on social media was significantly related to lower relationship satisfaction, higher relationship ambivalence, and greater attachment avoidance and anxiety in both women and men. Additionally, attachment anxiety and gender interacted with relationship satisfaction in predicting online infidelity-related behaviors when controlling for other variables. Implications are discussed.

Be the Change You Want to See: Discovering Principles of Nonviolent Social Movements in Intimate Relationships

Although principles of nonviolence have been applied in sociopolitical arenas, they can also be helpful in understanding intimate partner relationships. This is because couples who handle conflict in a constructive way are often using techniques and ideas congruent with nonviolent philosophies. Relationships that handle conflict by becoming aggressive could potentially apply principles of nonviolence to help them address problems in constructive ways. The purpose of this study was to explore qualitative data that described intimate partner dynamics (including conflict, violence, appraisals, and safety) to better understand how individuals apply principles of nonviolence in their partnerships to achieve healthier relationship outcomes. Three qualitative data sets were analyzed using grounded theory methodology. From this secondary analysis, emerged categories and concepts that illustrate the ways couples demonstrate nonviolence principles in these relationships. The first main category was awareness, which included accountability, reflection, commitment, and justice. The second category was action, which included the concepts of authenticity, resistance, repair, and care. These are shown in a process model that in undergirded by the category of context, which includes interaction, gender/culture, and family of origin. Implications for clinical practice and research are provided.

Fooling Around on Facebook: The Perceptions of Infidelity Behavior on Social Networking Sites

This mixed-methods study used content analysis and logistic regression to explore how people interpret Facebook infidelity behaviors, its impact on offline relationships, and how Facebook infidelity compares to online and offline infidelity. Six hundred twenty-eight respondents participated in a story completion task where they finished a narrative concerning questionable behavior on Facebook. Results found 51% of the participants interpreted the Facebook behavior as infidelity, with only 2.9% indicating the behavior was not infidelity. Other findings show that Facebook behavior negatively impacts offline relationships and accessing a partners Facebook account is a privacy violation. Clinical implications are discussed.

Assessment and Treatment of Internet Sexuality Issues

The pervasive nature of technology has forced couples and families to rethink the role technology plays in their lives. Several notable areas emerging as challenging areas in couples’ lives include Internet infidelity, Internet pornography usage, and cybersex addiction. The increased prevalence of technology-related issues in therapy has challenged clinicians with the task of understanding the distinct differences and commonalities among each Internet-related issue. Two common Internet sexuality issues reported by clinicians are cybersex and Internet infidelity. The purpose of this article is to provide brief descriptions of the most common Internet sexuality issues, provide an overview of common assessment procedures, and outline the most recent development in treatment of these problems.

Bi-Invisibility: A Phenomenological Exploration of Same-Sex Casual Encounters

ABSTRACT Sexual behaviors do not always align with a persons sexual orientation. This article seeks to explore the experiences of those who sexually identify as heterosexual or mostly heterosexual and engage in same-sex sexual behavior. The authors sought to understand what led the individuals to this particular type of encounter, the behaviors associated with the encounter, how the encounters were described by the participants, and the overall affect that gender has on the experience. This phenomenological study included a sample of 14 men and six women from an online source in which the individuals described their experiences. The authors found 11 themes that were organized within three categories: before, during, and after. This study revealed diverse motivations for engaging in a same-sex encounter, as well as a gender difference in the overall impact of the experience. Implications and future research directions are discussed.

Be the Change You Want to See

Although principles of nonviolence have been applied in sociopolitical arenas, they can also be helpful in understanding intimate partner relationships. This is because couples who handle conflict in a constructive way are often using techniques and ideas congruent with nonviolent philosophies. Relationships that handle conflict by becoming aggressive could potentially apply principles of nonviolence to help them address problems in constructive ways. The purpose of this study was to explore qualitative data that described intimate partner dynamics (including conflict, violence, appraisals, and safety) to better understand how individuals apply principles of nonviolence in their partnerships to achieve healthier relationship outcomes. Three qualitative data sets were analyzed using grounded theory methodology. From this secondary analysis, emerged categories and concepts that illustrate the ways couples demonstrate nonviolence principles in these relationships. The first main category was awareness, which included accountability, reflection, commitment, and justice. The second category was action, which included the concepts of authenticity, resistance, repair, and care. These are shown in a process model that in undergirded by the category of context, which includes interaction, gender/culture, and family of origin. Implications for clinical practice and research are provided.

Discovering Principles of Nonviolent Social Movements in Intimate Relationships

Although principles of nonviolence have been applied in sociopolitical arenas, they can also be helpful in understanding intimate partner relationships. This is because couples who handle conflict in a constructive way are often using techniques and ideas congruent with nonviolent philosophies. Relationships that handle conflict by becoming aggressive could potentially apply principles of nonviolence to help them address problems in constructive ways. The purpose of this study was to explore qualitative data that described intimate partner dynamics (including conflict, violence, appraisals, and safety) to better understand how individuals apply principles of nonviolence in their partnerships to achieve healthier relationship outcomes. Three qualitative data sets were analyzed using grounded theory methodology. From this secondary analysis, emerged categories and concepts that illustrate the ways couples demonstrate nonviolence principles in these relationships. The first main category was awareness, which included accountability, reflection, commitment, and justice. The second category was action, which included the concepts of authenticity, resistance, repair, and care. These are shown in a process model that in undergirded by the category of context, which includes interaction, gender/culture, and family of origin. Implications for clinical practice and research are provided.

Escalating, Accusing, and Rationalizing: A Model of Distortion and Interaction in Couple Conflict

When couples fight, they tend to distort, using strategies like denial, rationalization, and deception. These are used to blame the other and minimize ones role in the conflict. This dynamic almost always exists during conflict and is found in extreme forms when fighting turns abusive. This project involved using constructivist grounded theory methods to analyze observational data of couple interactions. Types, effects, and contextual issues related to distortions, as well as how partners used strategies to deescalate and avoid distortion, were examined. Types of distortion included accusation, justification, and victimization, and these were arranged into a model that shows the relationship between escalation and distortion. Implications for clinicians and researchers are discussed.