Insecure, detached, and unfaithful: Propensity towards infidelity as predicted by authenticity, emotional intimacy and insecure attachment styles

Individuals with insecure attachment styles have been found to be more likely to commit acts of infidelity, but the psychological dynamics underlying this link are not yet understood. The aim of our cross-sectional study was to explore the potential predictive roles of one personal trait (i.e., authenticity), one individual factor reflected in the dyadic context (i.e., insecure attachment styles) and one relationship characteristic (i.e., emotional intimacy) on propensity towards infidelity. A sample of 307 Romanians in a current committed relationship, aged between 18 and 60 ( M = 29.98, SD = 9.37) filled in measures of attachment styles, authenticity, emotional intimacy, propensity towards infidelity, and personal and relationships demographics. Results showed that insecure attachment styles were positively associated with propensity towards infidelity and negatively related to authenticity and emotional intimacy. Also, propensity towards infidelity was significantly and negatively predicted by authenticity and emotional intimacy when controlling for effects of insecure attachment styles, gender and age. This pattern of relationships suggests the plausibility of complex models of effects of insecure attachment on infidelity, by which authenticity and emotional intimacy may represent intermediate factors, therefore pinpointing distinct individual and relational dynamics by which insecure attachment styles may increase the likelihood of infidelity in committed relationships.