NOT "JUST FRIENDS"

You’re right to be cautious when you hear these words: “I’m telling you, we’re just friends.”

Good people in good marriages are having affairs. The workplace and the Internet have become fertile breeding grounds for “friendships” that can slowly and insidiously turn into love affairs. Yet you can pro tect your relationship from emotional or sexual betrayal by recognizing the red flags that mark the stages of slipping into an improper, dangerous intimacy that can threaten your marriage.

Shirley P. Glass, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist with a diplomate in family psychology. She is also a licensed marriage and family therapist and a fellow of the American Psychological Association. The New York Times has referred to Dr. Glass as "the godmother of infidelity research." She has been conducting research on extramarital relationships since 1975. In addition, she has learned about the trauma of infidelity from the couples she has treated in her private practice in the Baltimore area. Her relationship expertise has made her a media favorite who is frequently cited in USA Today, the Los Angeles Times, Psychology Today, Redbook, Glamour, Ladies' Home Journal, Men's Health, and Newsweek. She has appeared on Good Morning America, Oprah, Today, and Fresh Air on NPR. She has been married for more than forty years and has three adult children.