Will Saying 'I'm Sorry' Save a Relationship when One Partner Has Cheated?

The NationalOpinion ResearchCenter at the University of Chicago published a survey in the year 2002 stating that 22 percent of men and 15% of women shared sexual intimacy with someone other than their spouse. 





Regardless of the actual numbers of infidelity, the act of cheating seems to have become more widespread and more acceptable.  So, why are so many people cheating and what’s behind the need for extra marital affairs?





When asking the person who cheats why they feel the need to participate in extra marital affairs, they give many different reasons. One might say, “I was bored and it just happened.” Others claim, “I was in the wrong place and they were just there.” 





Others insist, “It was because I was drunk and I couldn’t fight it.”   Some even say, “It was a chemical attraction and it was just one time.  It didn’t mean a thing.”  Another excuse might be, “It wasn’t personal; it was strictly physical.”





The question then becomes; if someone has cheated and was caught, would saying “I’m sorry” be enough?  The response to that question can only be answered by the individuals in the relationships and whether the cheater was genuinely sorry.  However, someone who has been caught stealing is rarely sorry they stole; they are only sorry because they were caught.





With that in statement in mind, does the same hold true for a cheating partner?  Are they only sorry because they were caught and attempt to gloss over their "indiscretion," by downplaying the situation with such statements as, “It’s not a personal thing." 





The reality is that men and women who cheat, especially repeat offenders, often have serious issues of insecurity and many tend to be adrenaline junkies in constant need of excitement.