Toward a Psychological Theory of Vulnerability to Infidelity: Integrating Personality, Cognition, and Relational Factors

Infidelity remains one of the most disruptive experiences in intimate relationships, yet psychological research has largely emphasized behavioral predictors rather than the underlying mechanisms that predispose individuals to partner betrayal. This conceptual study introduces a Latent Vulnerability Framework for understanding susceptibility to infidelity, positioning vulnerability as a higher-order construct emerging from the dynamic interplay of personality dispositions, cognitive schemas, and relational contexts. Drawing upon the Big Five personality model, attachment theory, and contemporary relational psychology, the framework theorizes how individual characteristics (e.g., neuroticism, agreeableness), relational processes (e.g., commitment patterns, prior relational experiences, expressions of gratitude), and cognitive tendencies (e.g., maladaptive beliefs, hypervigilance, contingent self-worth) coalesce to shape vulnerability. Moreover, contextual factors such as religiosity, educational background, and previous exposure to betrayal are conceptualized as modulators influencing the expression of vulnerability. Cognitive appraisals are proposed as the key mechanism through which personality and relational factors exert their influence. By integrating multi-level psychological constructs, this framework advances a theoretical lens for exploring why some individuals are more susceptible to relational betrayal than others and offers foundational insights for future empirical research and theory-driven interventions in intimate relationship psychology.

کلیدواژه ها:

Infidelity ، Latent Vulnerability ، Personality Traits ، Cognitive Appraisals ، Attachment Theory