ERIC_NO:
ED444042
TITLE:
Women's Internet Behavior: Providing Psychotherapy Offline and Online for Cyber-Infidelity.
AUTHOR:
Maheu, Marlene M.
PUBLICATION_DATE:
1999
ABSTRACT:
As women increasingly use the Internet, a variety of behaviors worthy of psychological study are emerging. Through e-mail
discussion lists, newsgroups, and Web sites, women are exploring new
ways of interacting. Asserting themselves, initiating bold
conversations, experimenting with anger, involving themselves in
furtive love affairs, and having cybersex are just some of the
experiences occurring for women. This paper looks at how
cyber-affairs can be damaging to the core issues of trust,
self-esteem, and integrity in a relationship. Affairs can be a
betrayal of the self and can imply that a person is avoiding knowing
himself/herself or the partner when substituting fantasy sex online
for a real relationship. The paper discusses the many implications
for feminist psychotherapists who bring a traditional understanding
of relationships to the world of online romance. It discusses how
psychologists need to understand and develop treatment strategies
for patients with cyber-infidelities. Several suggestions are
offered for counselors and counselor training: (1) helping clients
clarify arrangements and agreements with their domestic partner; (2)
exploring the ethics involved in treating clients via e-mail; (3)
defining the professional relationship on and off line; and (4)
considering counselor competency in the use of technology as a
counseling tool. (Contains 91 references.) (JDM)
MAJOR_DESCRIPTORS:
Counselor Training; Females; Internet; Interpersonal Relationship;
MINOR DESCRIPTORS:
Affective Behavior; Counseling Effectiveness; Counseling Techniques; Counselor Client Relationship; Electronic Mail; Ethics; Interpersonal Communication; Psychotherapy; Sexuality; Social Cognition;
IDENTIFIERS:
Cyberspace; *Infidelity
PUBLICATION_TYPE:
120; 150