1.1 Unpacking personal meanings around infidelity

Infidelity is a value-laden topic in our culture and it can also be very meaningful on a personal level. Because infidelity is common (more on this below) it may well be something you and/or people you care for may have directly experienced. If this is the case, it may be that the topic of infidelity stirs up strong emotions or distressing memories.

If infidelity is a personally meaningful topic for you, please do remember to look after yourself as you study this course. You might also want to consider trying to ‘bracket’ your own responses as you go. ‘Bracketing’ is a term used in a form of qualitative research inquiry called phenomenology, which involves an observer of a phenomenon (here this is you as you think about infidelity) trying to set aside their judgements so as to open themselves up to a fuller experience of the phenomenon.

Activity 1.2 asks you to engage in a bracketing exercise in which you try to identify your views and feelings about infidelity. Noticing your own thoughts and feelings about the topic is potentially useful – it may be particularly difficult to hold onto a spirit of open inquiry when focussed on this topic. In addition, bracketing is a form of personal reflexivity which is encouraged for counsellors and psychotherapists (Donati, 2016)!