At the grocery store, I commented to my wife about an article in the latest edition of Glamour magazine that addressed “Men’s New Sexual Needs“. I wondered how did people miss some of those needs? In thousands of years, how did they just now discover what those needs were? The incident led me to realize that some of the definitions of things are changing.
One change is the advent of “emotional infidelity”. With increasing frequency, people are discussing the topic of emotional infidelity. Besides discussing what it is, and how it occurs, it is now one of the hazards of the modern workplace. Seeig such articles reminds me of how this issue was discussed years ago in homes across America when couples discussed the husband’s secretary or the wife going to work. This is not a new topic, but rather an old topic discussed in a new way.
Another new term that has hit the main stream media this week is “Textual seduction”. This is a term coming out of the affair situation in Detroit with Kwame Kilpatrick. There is a stark contrast between how Spitzer and Kilpatrick are handling the allegations involved in each situation. There are not easy answers or elegant ways out of adultery. With both Spitzer and Kilpatrick, the long pattern of infidelity suggests that other addictive relationship issues will likely need to be addressed as well. The repeated use of prostitutes in Spitzer’s case and the admission and severity of cover-up in Kilpatrick’s case are common hallmarks of more serious issues.
The development of these new terms and concepts tells me that people are wrestling with a sensitive issue and trying to find answers. They are developing new terms as a way to come up with new ways of looking at the behaviors.
Best Regards,
Jeff Murrah
