Why Tiger Woods and other richand famous men cheat,
Photo: AP/Andrew Brownbill
Why do Tiger Woods, David Letterman, Mark Sanford, John Edwards and other rich and famous men cheat on their wives?
It’s a subject that could be endlessly debated, because the reasons are almost as varied as rich and famous men themselves. The most common reasons are listed below:
A Sense of Entitlement
Many rich and famous men feel they can cheat and get away with it because of who they are and the status they have. They consider themselves exempt from the rules that govern everyone else.
The Thrill of the Chase
Many rich and famous men get a real kick out of all the subterfuge, the lying, the scheming associated with having an extramarital affair and keeping it hidden from public view. Infidelity gives them the kind of adrenaline rush they’d get from participating in a high risk sport.
Peer Pressure
Friends, associates , teammates, even family members of a rich and famous man will sometimes egg him on or encourage him to cheat on his wife. Turning down opportunities to bed beautiful women would mean losing face among his peers. Many of these aiders and abetters will even help the cheater cover his tracks
Viewing Infidelity as a Status Symbol
To many rich and famous men, the ability to afford a mistress, or patronize a high-priced call girl is a status symbol - one of the trappings of success – like a mansion or an expensive car.
Increased Opportunities to Cheat
Rich and famous men lead lifestyles that afford them more opportunities to cheat than the average man next door. Sports stars, entertainers, and politicians are surrounded by groupies, adoring fans, gold diggers and other women who are willing to sleep with them because of their impressed with their status or their wealth.
The Excitement of Doing Something Forbidden
Just like ordinary men, some rich and famous men have a rebellious streak and have extramarital affairs solely for the excitement of doing something that’s forbidden.
Ego-Embellishment Reasons
Nothing boosts a man’s ego like uninhibited sex with a beautiful woman. Having an extramarital affair can feed the already inflated ego that many rich and famous men have and make them feel powerful, sought-after and invincible.
Inability to Resist Temptation or Say No
Remaining faithful can present quite a challenge to rich and famous men confronted with
women who are willing to perform any sex act imaginable brazenly offering themselves. Some of them aren’t strong enough to resist such temptation. Others may simply be unwilling, or unable to say “No”.
A Sense of Superiority
Getting away with infidelity can give many rich and famous men a heightened sense of superiority, and make them feel smug and self satisfied. These men mentally congratulate themselves on their ability to outsmart the media, their wives and everyone else, and keep people in the dark about what they’re doing behind closed doors.
The Belief that They Can Get Away With It
The main reason many rich and famous men cheat on their wives is that they feel confident they can pull do it without getting caught. If they thought for one minute that their affairs would be exposed, most of them would never take the chance.
A Belief that Money Can Buy Them Anything
Rich and famous men are well aware that women are attracted to them because of their wealth and are confident that they can buy their way into any woman’s bed. They are equally confident that if, through some quirk of fate, they do get caught, they can buy their way out of the situation.
Low Moral Values
Just like ordinary men, there are many rich and famous men who simply have no qualms about cheating on their mates. They have such low moral values that they will cheat with any woman, any time, under any circumstances, and never experience a shred of guilt.
Sex Addiction
A very small percentage of rich and famous men cheat because of sex addiction –a condition which requires medical help. A larger percentage of rich and famous men are serial cheaters who claim to be sex addicts – only after they get caught.
Because They Can
Many rich and famous men cheat on their wives just because they can. They don’t really need a reason to be unfaithful to their mate.
Other Reasons Rich and Famous Men Cheat
Other rich and famous men cheat for reasons we could never fathom, and will probably never know. See the article entitled Top 10 reasons Why Men and Women Cheat.
But contrary to popular belief, most men do not cheat because they aren’t getting enough sex or because their wives are no longer attractive, or because they are unhappy, as 3 separate infidelity studies found last year. See the article entitled Happy Husbands Cheat, Too.
However, the real question is this:
What can the wife of a spots figure, entertainer, or politician do about this propensity of rich and/or famous men to cheat?”
Precautions a Wife Can Take
Since fame, fortune, good looks and a happy marriage are no protection against infidelity, is there anything the wife of a rich or famous man can do to prevent her husband from having an affair?
Not very much, since the cheating is usually unrelated to anything the wife did or didn’t do. See the article entitled Are Wives to Blame When Husbands Cheat?
Like most wives whose rich, famous husbands are having affairs, Elin Nordegren Woods, Elizabeth Edwards, Jenny Sanforn, Regina Lasko Letterman were the last to know. See the articles entitled Why the Wife is Still the Last to Know and 3 Things a Wife Stands to Lose by Being the Last to Know.
Is there any way for a wife to spot infidelity before the whole world finds out about her rich and famous husband’s extramarital affair?
Yes there is!
No matter how carefully a cheating politician tries to cover his tracks, there will ALWAYS be telltale signs. No cheater, regardless of how careful or cautious he may be, can cover up every single sign of infidelity. This is where a good infidelity reference book can help, since knowing what to look for is the key. See Is He Cheating on You? – 829 Telltale Signs
The best offense is a good defense. It’s important to know how to recognize the early warning signs. Many subtle signs of infidelity appear long before the physical cheating actually takes place ,which can alert a wife that her husband is on the verge, or in the early stages of having an affair.
A wife who spots the signs early enough may be able to take positive action and nip things in the bud before they blossom into a full blown affair.
She may be able to short-circuit a fling before any serious damage is done (STD’s, pregnancy, blackmail, media exposure) or before it progresses to a long-term affair, or gets completely out of control.
For a free copy of the special report entitled Is He Cheating? – Is She Cheating? – 21 Ways You Can Tell, e-mail InfidelityInfo@gmail.com with “21 Ways Xm” in the subject line.
*** © copyright 2009 Ruth Houston
Ruth Houston is a New York-based infidelity expert who is frequently called on by the media to comment on infidelity issues in the news. She is the author of Is He Cheating on You? - 829 Telltale Signs, the founder of InfidelityAdvice.com and publishes the Infidelity News and Views blog.
For more information about cheating husbands, signs of infidelity, and extramarital affairs, see:
Top 10 reasons Why Men and Women Cheat
Are Wives to Blame When Their Husbands Cheat?
Why the Wife is Still the Last to Know
3 Things a Wife Stands to Lose by Being the Last to Know
Is He Cheating on You? – 829 Telltale Signs (softcover book) (e-book version)
Is He Cheating? – Is She Cheating? – 21 Ways You Can Tell (free tip sheet)
When Should You Hire a Private Investigator to Check Out a Cheating Mate?
What Should I Do If I Think He or She Is Cheating on Me?
How to Catch a Cheating Husband
Infidelity Resources to Help You Catch a Cheating Mate
Free Infidelity Tip Sheets and Special Reports
Comments
I think that men who cheat need reassurance that they are still capable and desirable. Often, they are insecure about themselves and when an opportunity is present such as a female who gives him some attention, his ego is blown up and so he takes the bait. He may have a gorgeous wife, a great mother to his children but the daily routine of family life takes on something he can count on.
When someone else comes along, he sees it as prey and an adventure even if the other woman looks like a dog. At that moment he forgets what a great family he has but reacts to his primal instincts, risking everything, not thinking. What a shame.
What do you think sex addiction is?
All of the reason that men become sex addicts are listed as your reasons why men cheat.
The only thing that makes man a sex addict is his desire to stop this behaviors and not be able to do it. If Tiger Woods didn't want to cheat but found out that he couldn't help himself, he is a sex addict. If he did wanted to cheat and just didn't care, he is just a bad man.
You left out the fact there are women with zero self worth who prey on men who are powerful, famous, rich, etc. because only through having intercourse with these men can they find any value in themselves. In truth, that debases them more but in their delusional state they see it as something worthwhile. That is why they sell their stories to tabloids - it is partly for the money but mostly for the attention they seek more than anything. They don't know the rest of us think they are pathetic and laugh at them.
"Nothing boosts a man’s ego like uninhibited sex with a beautiful woman. Having an extramarital affair can feed the already inflated ego that many rich and famous men have and make them feel powerful, sought-after and invincible." What does this have to do with John Edwards and Tiger Woods? John Edwards could have had a German Sheperd that would have been better looking than his mistress. Tiger's "NY party girl" looked better than JE's, but she still looked rode hard and put up wet. These women just wanted money and attention and were willing to hurt other women to get it.
Vickie, You are so right! The trashy women not only hurt the wives but the children of those marriages. They also hurt the men they were with which is absolute proof they were in it for the money and the "fame" not love.
A better question might be: "Why wouldn't they?"
Vickie says: "John Edwards could have had a German Sheperd that would have been better looking than his mistress."
Not only would the dog have been a 100% better looking but a 1000% more intelligent than Edwards' horse-faced tramp.
Guys, If you are going to risk everything and hurt people you claim to love, at least pick someone with a least one functioning brain cell and that doesn't need a bag over her head because she's so totally ugly!
Kirst, Some how I don't think it would make it better for the women and children of these whore chasin' hillbillies, if the woman was beautiful. Women just need to respect other women more.
JE's got what he deserved for what he did and so did his mistress. No one wants to hear from them again. However, EE is still giving speeches and being called to contribute, while her slug of a husband is in hiding. That poor baby born to mistress doesn't have a chance. I hope she doesn't grow up to be like her mother. She sure doesn't have much for a father either.
Being a sports figure and not a politician, Tiger will probably go on as before once the media gets tired of his story. Look at Kobe Bryant. He should be in prison. Instead he's playing basketball on Sundys.
Who says monogamy is a rule? Who are we to say monogamy is the best way to live?
Looks like men learn nothing from the unfortunate McNair incident.
There's no such thing as 'sex addiction'. This is really simple: famous athletes have many gorgeous women after them and they are healthy, fit and horny men. Married sex is boring, so men need a way to release their sexual pressure.
I hope Erin gets over half what hes worth!
After reading the so called 14 reasons why the rich and famous cheat by Ruth Houston,tells me that even the experts don't have all of the answers.In fact, all 14 reasons missed the mark.High profile individuals live with an enormous amount of stress.Some people use drugs, others seek counseling.The best stress reliever is sex.This is a warning to all who wish to marry a high profile person.If you do not have an ear to hear,and a will to please your spouse,then you probably should stay away from the high profilers.
I think it is a much bigger problem than this article suggests. I think it is in men's nature to spread the seed. We are, after all, animals with instincts bread into us. Is it against our nature to stay monogamous? These are real questions that are not being asked. Instead we get this type of article that mentions sexual addiction and low moral values and antitlement arguments when the big question is ignored. Men and Women are different. It apears that men need more than what is considered the norm.
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