A comparison between moral intelligence and attachment styles in married people with and without extramarital relationships

Emergence of betrayal and making extramarital relationships in couples seriously endanger marital life and the couple’s adjustment. Therefore, the present study was conducted aiming to compare Moral intelligence and attachment styles in married couples with or without extramarital relationships. The research design was causal-comparative. The statistical population of the present study included all married men and women referring to Isfahan consultation centers in the spring of 2018 from whom 58 men and 50 women with extramarital relationships and 49 men and 59 women without extramarital relationship were selected as the research samples through convenient method. In order to collect data, Moral Intelligence Questionnaire (Lennick & Kiel, 2005) and Revised Adult Attachment Scale (Collins & Read, 1990) were used. Independent sample t-test was used in order to analyze the data. The results of the analysis showed that two married groups with extramarital relationships and without extramarital relationships are significantly different from each other in the variables of Moral intelligence and attachment styles (P<0.05) That is, the group with a Extramarital Relationships has lower Moral intelligence. Married couples also had Extramarital Relationships than those with no Extramarital Relationships, had lower secure and avoidant attachment, and higher anxiety-ambivalent attachment. According to the results of the present study it is necessary first to identify the factors creating extramarital relationships through appropriate qualitative study and to attempt to increase love between them through applying couple therapy via improvement of marital adjustment and Attachment in these couples.