Infidelity recovery / INF-A10-1
Trust through Observable Actions — Concept brief
Understand the idea behind trust through observable actions and consider whether it fits your context.
8 minutes · Handout · Adults; supported use as appropriate
Fictional example: Quinn agrees to communicate a relevant plan change at an agreed time.
Use an ordinary or fictional example, with a clinician when appropriate. Trust cannot be demanded and may be influenced by consistent behavior over time.
The idea
Trust cannot be demanded and may be influenced by consistent behavior over time.
An ordinary example
Quinn agrees to communicate a relevant plan change at an agreed time.
What this can look like
Identify one realistic commitment, how it can be observed without surveillance, and what happens if it is not kept.
Check the fit
What action can be offered without claiming it guarantees trust? You may disagree with the framing, use fiction, or decide that this approach is not useful today.
A useful distinction
Understanding relationship context does not transfer responsibility for deception to the hurt partner or require a particular relationship outcome.
Prompts for this resource
- What part of this idea makes sense to me?
- What action can be offered without claiming it guarantees trust?
Conceptual background
Integrative Model of Affair Recovery — American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy
Background on the approach only. Original exercises and wording are by More Than Therapy with AI assistance; the source does not validate or endorse these materials.