There is another side to infidelity that can make it more disturbing than others. A cheating man or woman who chooses a relation by blood or marriage as an extramarital affair partner is said to be in an incestuous illicit relationship. There is a much deeper implication of unfaithfulness in this context because of the close relationship between personalities involved.
Incest is defined as a sexual relation between people related by blood, marriage, and other legal processes such as adoption. The degree of prohibited relationships may vary between countries and cultures. The essence however of the prohibition is basically the same.
Aside from the moral aspect of incest, the prohibition stands on medical findings that the probability of birth defects in offsprings of incestuous relationships is much higher than those produced by unrelated marriage partners. There are certain efforts by some to distinguish incestuous relationships between two consenting adults although the general belief that it does not constitute much difference remains the same. The most destructive aspect of incest is when it is used as a form of sexual abuse.
This is most often seen when a parent coerces a child to participate in a sexual relationship. Some cheaters who do not wish to bring their inclination outside their homes zero in on the weakness of a child to get what they want. Spouses of cheaters involved in incestuous infidelity have a bigger problem than most victims of spousal cheating. In addition to coping with the personal hurt of the unfaithful act itself, they would have to face the additional burden of protecting the rights of a child and the difficult task of recovery for both of them.
