R108: The Crisis of Infidelity

Why? Because when couples come in after an infidelity has occurred-or while one is going on-the stakes are high and the traditional therapeutic stance of neutrality may not be an option. This Reading Course, comprised of 4 articles, examines some of the myths about extramarital affairs, looks at some of the classic patterns of infidelity, and, most importantly, shows how to help couples turn infidelity into an opportunity for greater intimacy. Including the work of well-known figures like Frank Pittman, Shirley Glass, and Emily Brown, this course will offer you a framework for recognizing your own value position and highlight the fundamental issues couples must face if they are to use the crisis of infidelity to develop a richer, fuller relationship.

Course Readings

Turning Down the Temperature: Handling One of Marriage's Most Explosive Crises by Leo Fay

What Price Camelot? by Frank Pittman

Five Patterns of Infidelity by Emily Brown

Marriage at the Turning Point by Don-David Lusterman

An Affair to Remember: How Much Knowledge Is Too Much Knowledge? by Shirley Glass

Learning Objectives

1. Define adultery and infidelity
2. Discuss how affairs are damaging to marriages
3. Identify the classic patterns of infidelity
4. Develop interventions to contain the anxiety caused by an afffair