Why needy people are most likely to be unfaithful in marriage

People unable to form secure relationships with parents were affected
Infidelity frequently stems from fear of being abandoned by spouses
Research conducted over four years and includes data from 200 couples

By
Ruth Styles

PUBLISHED:

10:23 GMT, 7 November 2013

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UPDATED:

12:01 GMT, 7 November 2013

You might think that a clingy partner would be least likely to stray - but you'd be wrong, according to a new study.

In fact, people who are insecure and find it hard to trust are themselves more likely to cheat.

The research, which was conducted by a team at Florida State University and reported in journal Psychology Today, looked at 200 newly married couples over a period of four years.

Anxiety: Those who fear abandonment are more likely to cheat and be cheated on by their partner

Security: Relationships with parents informed future behaviour with romantic partners

During the study, participants were
regularly asked to complete a survey that questioned their feelings
towards their partner and how secure in the relationship they felt.

Those who displayed needy behaviour and were anxious about being abandoned by their partner were more likely to themselves cheat.

Interestingly, the same was found to be true of the spouses of those who feared abandonment.

The findings have been attributed to another psychological theorem that deals with attachment styles, which are formed during childhood.

Those who enjoyed a stable relationship with their parents develop a 'secure' attachment style which, as an adult, translates to being able to trust that partners will care for them and will make their wellbeing a priority.

By contrast, those who have insecure attachment styles either fear abandonment or battle to retain their independence in a bid to avoid being rejected.

According to Michelle Russell, the psychologist who led the study, those who fear abandonment are both more likely to cheat and be cheated on, as well as displaying more neediness within a relationship.

'Attachment anxiety produces enough of a threat to intimacy to motivate spouses to seek out alternative partners,' she explains.

Interestingly, the same wasn't true for those with the other form of insecure attachment style - greater independence - who were found instead to be the least likely to cheat.