What is an "emotional affair"?

Answer 1

Just what it says. It's an affair of emotions. In an emotional affair, the two people have an emotional relationship, they are very good friends, and want more than that, but don't act on it. There is no sex in an emotional affair.
This is more common with online relationships.
Hope this helps.

Answer 2

An emotional affair can be thought of as chaste infidelity. It may be refered to as an affair of the heart. They can be wonderful and life changing experiences. They are the stuff of great stories that teeter on the edge of consumation. However, they can be catastrophic for all concerned especially when they are clandestine, unsanctioned and then exposed as more than just friends.

Sometimes an emotional affair is more damaging to the contract of a committed relationship that is perceived as betrayed by the affair, than if it were 'just a one night stand' or 'just about sex' (which it never is). The interpersonal attraction may be a result of propinquity and/or physical_attractiveness of the other person or of a perceived lack of interpersonal_chemistry in the primary relationship.

David Moultrup has broadly defined an extramarital affair as

a relationship between a person and someone other than (their) spouse (or lover) that has an impact on the level of intimacy, emotional distance and overall dynamic balance in the marriage. The role of an affair is to create emotional distance in the marriage. The critical principle to consider is the possibility of unconscious emotional benefits gained by the uninvolved spouse. The goal of therapy is to resolve the intimacy problems in the couple relationship so that an affair will no longer be 'needed.' This model does not consider the possibility of accidental affairs nor those that arise out of individual pathology or habit rather than relationship difficulties.

Answer 3

An emotional affair is an affair that usually doesn't have a sexual element to it. It occurs when one or both of the people are married. The cheater(s) spend lots of time together doing various things and telling each other their innermost feelings and thoughts, even about the problems in marriages and relationships. The cheater(s) also think about the other person rather than the spouse or SO. If there is a physical attraction, the affair may easily turn sexual as well.

Answer 4

An emotional affair is one that doesn't necessarily mean that your partner is physically cheating on you, but instead has formed an emotional connection with someone else. There are feelings, and concern, and sharing on a deeper level than just sex. Sex is just sex. People have sex all the time with people they aren't in love with or even care about for that matter. But an emotional affair is, in a lot of ways worse than a sexual affair because feelings and emtions don't just stop. They take time to dissolve and sometimes they never go completely away.

Answer 5

It's when you become involved with another person on a non-physical level. Could be thru the internet or meeting someone who you can talk to and really like but have never taken it to a physical level. I think these are worse then sexual affairs....... this involves the heart and making a connection whereas a sexual affair is just sex.

Answer 6

It's being more connected in talks and time invested in someone other than your spouse. It's when your heart longs to spend time with someone else. It robs your spouse of you. It can hurt as much and sometimes more than the physical aspect of an affair because it sucks the self worth out of your spouse. They begin asking themselves why they aren't as interesting and captivating as the other person. What does he/she have that I don't.

Honestly, even when you aren't attracted physically to that other person at first, the attraction that comes from a heart connection can be so strong you can't turn it off. You will be sucked in. Don't let this happen to you. It's a relationship buster.

Answer 7

i think an emotional affair is that you feel mostly pity .and mixed up feelings too like you hate or love or both . emotions play a part in everyone's feelings they are normal .