The Role of Betrayal Wounds in Mental Representation of Relationship, Interpersonal Trust, and Avoidance of Intimacy in Remarriage
Keywords:
marital infidelity, betrayal wound, remarriage, interpersonal trust, intimacy avoidance, mental representation of relationship, qualitative researchAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to explain the lived experiences of remarried individuals regarding the role of betrayal wounds in shaping mental representations of relationship, interpersonal trust, and avoidance of intimacy in remarriage.
Methods and Materials: This qualitative study was conducted using thematic analysis. Participants were 22 remarried individuals living in Tehran who had experienced spousal or romantic partner infidelity in a previous marriage or a relationship preceding remarriage. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling with maximum variation in gender, age, duration of remarriage, and type of betrayal experience. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews. Interviews continued until theoretical saturation was achieved; saturation emerged at the 19th interview, and three additional interviews were conducted to ensure meaning saturation. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using NVivo software. Trustworthiness was enhanced through member checking, peer debriefing, reflexive memoing, and an audit trail.
Findings: Data analysis led to four main categories: “threat-oriented representation of relationship,” “conditional and testing-based trust,” “avoidance of intimacy and control of vulnerability,” and “efforts to reconstruct psychological and relational boundaries.” Findings indicated that betrayal wounds made the new marital relationship a psychologically ambivalent space in which hope for repair coexisted with fear of repeated injury. Participants described trust as gradual, conditional, and dependent on the spouse’s behavioral transparency. Although they desired emotional closeness, many avoided full self-disclosure, emotional dependence, and bodily intimacy due to fear of being hurt again.
Conclusion: Betrayal wounds may be reactivated in remarriage as persistent cognitive, emotional, and behavioral patterns that influence relational security, trust formation, and intimacy. Couple therapy and remarriage counseling should address not only present conflicts but also betrayal-based mental representations, trust reconstruction, and gradual restoration of emotional vulnerability.
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