Chapter 2 - The Unfaithful Partner's Response: Lost in a Labyrinth of Choices Summary and Analysis

Chapter 2 concludes the first of three major divisions within the text: Stage 1 - Reacting to the Affair: "Is What I'm Feeling Normal?" The two chapters in the first stage involve, respectively, the hurt partner and the unfaithful partner. Both chapters are average in length for the text. There is some overlap between the chapters but this is thematically necessary, intelligible, and minor. The text suggests that the fundamental difference in reaction to the affair between the hurt partner and the unfaithful partner stems from the fact that the unfaithful partner's sense of self has not been assaulted; in fact, it may have benefited.

Most unfaithful partners prosecute their extramarital affair with stealth, weaving a web of deceit to prevent...