The Role of Brain/Behavioral Systems, Prosocial Personality, and Cognitive and Emotional Empathy in Predicting Extramarital Relationships

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of psychology, Faculty of Education & Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran

2 Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran.

10.22098/jhrs.2022.10746.1056

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to determine whether brain/behavioral systems, prosocial personality, and cognitive and emotional empathy could predict extramarital relationships.

Methods: The study was descriptive-correlational. It was performed on one hundred twenty students who had been married for at least 3 years and were studying at Miyaneh Payam-e-Noor University in 2020-2021. The attitudes toward infidelity scale, Behavioral Activation and Inhibition System Scale, Prosocial Personality Questionnaire, and Empathy Questionnaire were utilized to collect data. In order to analyze the data, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis were performed using SPSS software.

Results: The results showed that in brain/behavioral systems, extramarital relationships had a positive relationship with the activation system (r = 0.51, p < 0.01) and are negatively correlated with the behavioral inhibition system (r = -0.64, p < 0.01), prosocial personality (r = -0.64, p < 0.01) and cognitive and emotional empathy (r = -0.67, p < 0.01). Moreover, predictor variables explained 70.8 percent of the variance of extramarital relationships.

Conclusion: The present study suggests that brain/behavioral systems, prosocial personality, and cognitive and emotional empathy can be reliable predictors of extramarital relationships. These results can be used in the field of prevention of extramarital affairs and adverse effects.

Keywords

Journal of Family Relations Studies

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 16 October 2022

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History

  • Receive Date: 30 April 2022
  • Revise Date: 24 May 2022
  • Accept Date: 16 July 2022

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