Can It Be Termed Cheating When You Flirt With An Ex?

A lot of people have different thoughts and believe when it comes to infidelity and more than a few of us have found it difficult to determine if certain things we do fall under cheating. Comparing your thoughts on infidelity with others may either make you see yourself as a cheat or see others as such.

While pretty much everyone would agree that sleeping with other women while your partner is pregnant or you are in any sort of committed relationship is considered cheating there’s actually a lot of gray areas when it comes to infidelity.

As a result, cheating is difficult to define because people differ in the type of contact they feel it is appropriate for a partner to have with someone else.

Some people believe that a partner is cheating when they:
Flirt with others
Engage in sexual talk with someone else

Exchange personal e-mails or text messagesDeny being married or in a relationship
Spend time with specific individuals
Engage in specific types of contact—sleeping in the same bed with another person
Purchase intimate gifts and presents for others
Chat online with someone else (online affairs)
Have sexual contact with someone else (physical infidelity)
Become emotionally involved with someone else (emotional infidelity)
Develop a crush or feelings for another individual
Share their most private thoughts and feelings with someone else
Become best friends with someone of the opposite sex
And the list could go on and on….
In some relationships however, traditional concepts of physical infidelity may not apply and it doesn’t count as cheating if you’ve both agreed it’s fine to sleep with other people. It really all comes down to the ground rules that you and your partner set.

In a very broad sense, cheating involves betraying a partner’s expectations about the type of contact the cheater has with others. When a husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend, violates one’s expectations about what is appropriate, people feel betrayed. It is important to note that relationships are not based on logic, but are influenced by our emotions.

It is important to note that infidelity is a gray area because different individuals have their own boundaries and ideals for romantic relationships. As such, you and your partner may want to decide and determine what is termed Cheating.

So what do you consider cheating—and how does your definition compare?