“Should I stay or should I go?” Understanding the noninvolved partner’s decision-making process following infidelity

Abstract

Two studies were conducted to test a conceptual model that expands upon the roles of attribution and forgiveness after a partner’s infidelity by integrating concepts from social network approval and attribution information selection (AIS) to examine how noninvolved partners in dating relationships decide to stay in or leave their relationships. Using a serial mediation model, we examined whether perceived social network approval was indirectly related to noninvolved partners’ relationship decisions sequentially through AIS, attributions, and forgiveness after a hypothetical infidelity (Study 1) and an actual infidelity (Study 2). In Study 1, 198 participants imagined their partners cheated on them and then were randomly assigned into one of two groups for a social network manipulation. In Study 2, 115 participants whose partners had recently engaged in infidelity reported on their experiences. Both studies supported the serial decision-making model, indicating that perceived social network approval, AIS, attributions, and forgiveness serially impact noninvolved partners’ relationship decisions following infidelity.