The Process of Formation and Continuation of Extramarital Emotional Relationships in Cyberspace: A Grounded Theory Study

Zahra  Bahmani; Yaser Madani; Keyvan  Salehi; Seyyed Mohammad  Alavi; Zohreh  Azizi

Authors

Zahra Bahmani PhD Student, Department of Counseling, Aras International Campus, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Author https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9696-414X
Yaser Madani Assistant Professor, Department of Counseling, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Corresponding Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6005-0646
Keyvan Salehi Associate Professor, Department of Educational and Curriculum Planning and Methods, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8673-4248
Seyyed Mohammad Alavi Professor, Department of English Language and Literature, Faculty of Foreign Languages and Literatures, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1740-2164
Zohreh Azizi PhD, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6978-944X

Keywords:

Extramarital Emotional Relationships, Cyberspace, Marital Relationships, Grounded Theory, Social Networks

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to explain the process through which extramarital emotional relationships are formed and maintained in cyberspace and to identify the principal factors influencing their development and continuation.

Methods and Materials: This qualitative study employed grounded theory based on the systematic approach of Strauss and Corbin. Participants comprised 16 specialists and counselors in family studies and educational sciences who were selected through purposive sampling according to relevant professional expertise and practical experience. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. Data collection and analysis proceeded iteratively to identify concepts, categories, their interrelationships, and the central phenomenon underlying the process of online extramarital emotional involvement.

Findings: The resulting paradigmatic model explained the formation and continuation of extramarital emotional relationships in cyberspace through six interconnected dimensions. Causal conditions comprised individual, emotional, marital, communicational, psychological, and motivational factors. The core phenomenon emerged as a gradual process beginning with online interactions, progressing through emotional intimacy and emotional attachment, and culminating in the expansion and deepening of the relationship. Contextual conditions included characteristics of cyberspace, family and cultural environments, and broader social interactions and living circumstances. Intervening conditions encompassed individual and psychological characteristics, moral and social values and constraints, supportive resources, and coping skills. Strategies involved online emotional interactions, management and maintenance of the virtual relationship, and concealment or behavioral justification. Consequences were organized into individual-psychological, marital, and family domains.

Conclusion: Extramarital emotional relationships in cyberspace represent a multidimensional and progressive process shaped by the interaction of personal, relational, psychological, sociocultural, and technological conditions. The proposed grounded theory framework provides an integrated explanation of this phenomenon and may inform future research as well as the development of preventive and counseling interventions tailored to couples experiencing vulnerabilities related to online emotional relationships.

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