Your textbook provides different theories for why people cheat:

Your textbook provides different theories for why people cheat: Evolutionary Perspective on Men "From an evolutionary perspective, the genes that enable their bearers to produce larger numbers of offspring are more likely to survive from one generation to the next than genes that don’t. A man who mates with one woman for life could produce a maximum of 6 to 12 offspring, depending on the length of time infants are breast-fed, postpartum sex taboos, and so on. If that same man occasionally has sex with a second woman (or a series of other women), he could produce 12 to 24 offspring. We think you get the picture. Men who seek out the “other woman” will produce more offspring, who in turn will produce more offspring carrying the genetic makeup that leads to extra-relationship liaisons (Fisher, 1992). One study reported an association between a dopamine receptor gene (DRD4) and reports of extra-relationship sexual experiences (Garcia et al., 2010)." Evolutionary Perspective on Women "First, sexual liaisons with other men might have enabled a woman to acquire extra goods and services that enhanced her offspring’s chances for survival. Second, adultery could serve as “insurance”; if her husband died, she would have another man to turn to for food, shelter, and protection. Third, a woman married to a timid, unproductive hunter could “upgrade her genetic line” by mating with another man. Finally, having children with multiple partners increases the genetic diversity of one’s offspring, increasing the chances that some of them will survive." Sociobiological Perspective & Equity Theory According to this sociobiological perspective, then, extramarital sex occurs because some men and women carry in their genetic makeup something that motivates them to be unfaithful. If there are environments in which adultery is adaptive in contemporary society, people with those genes will have a selective advantage. Equity theory is a social–psychological theory designed to predict and explain many kinds of human relations. In particular, it has been applied to predicting patterns of extramarital sex (Hatfield, 1978). "If these equity processes do occur, they might help to explain patterns of extramarital sex. That is, engaging in extramarital sex would be a way of restoring equity in an inequitable relationship. Social psychologist Elaine Hatfield tested this notion. Her prediction was that people who felt underbenefited in their marriages (that is, they felt there was an inequity and that they were not getting as much as they deserved) would be the ones to engage in extramarital sex. Confirming this notion, people who felt they were underbenefited began engaging in extramarital sex earlier in their marriages and had more extramarital partners than did people who felt equitably treated or over benefited. Apparently, feeling that one is not getting all one deserves in a marriage is related to engaging in extramarital sex," (p. 258) Some questions to think about... 1.) Based on your textbook, what is the evolutionary explanation for infidelity? What assumptions does it make? If we accept the evolutionary argument, how can we explain the rate of adultery? In other words, if the evolutionary argument is correct, why do some people remain faithful? 2.) In your own words, how does equity theory help explain patterns of infidelity? (pages 258-259 in your textbook)