Monogamy, Cheating, and the Gap We Don't Talk About
A recent article in The Atlantic makes a simple but uncomfortable observation: most Americans believe cheating is wrong, and a lot of Americans cheat anyway.
That gap — between what we believe and what we actually do — is where things get interesting. And for many couples, where things fall apart.
At Pinnacle Counseling, we sit with that gap all the time.
The Ideal vs. The Reality
Monogamy is still the dominant expectation in relationships. For most people, it's not just a preference — it's a value. It represents commitment, trust, and the kind of stability people build a life around.
But we're also living in a world that quietly pulls in the opposite direction. We have more access to potential partners than ever before. There's enormous cultural pressure around personal growth and fulfillment. And relationships and marriages last longer than they did for previous generations.
Put simply, we're asking more of monogamy than we used to. And often, we're asking more of ourselves than we're really prepared to navigate.
