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What really causes a powerful man to stray? Holly and Rodney welcome Oprah Radio host Dr. Robin Smith, who discusses why powerful men cheat on their spouses.
Dr. Robin says men in places of power often use insecurity and fear as reasoning for their behavior. "It might look like power, like arrogance, and it does not mean that there is not a flavor of arrogance in some of the behaviors that we are seeing," Dr. Robin says. "But more than the arrogance is an insecure man who does not know that he is enough with one woman and one good, solid marriage and a family that is rewarding." Dr. Robin says the reason men cheat has to do with how they are socialized, but it also has to do with women who are unplugged from their men—women who are permitting behavior that is unacceptable and who are in denial. After a man is caught cheating, people often look to see how his spouse reacts, especially if she decides to stand by his side. "Sometimes they are in shock because they don't know what else to do and because there is a piece of shame," she says. "Women often carry shame as if they did something to bring this on. So instead of saying, 'This is unacceptable. I didn't do anything wrong,' women carry it as if is an indictment against them, like, 'I wasn't good enough, sexual enough.'" Dr. Robin says that feeling can propel a woman to stand next to her man—to hide from her own embarrassment and her own shame.
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