Types of Love in Relationship

Crazy Thing Called Love-Types of Love in Relationship/3 Most Important Components

Author: Vida C.

Love has a variety of forms and is closely related to many emotions, like desire, affection, attachment, but the most important components are passion, intimacy and commitment. These components put into the context of interpersonal relationships characterize the triangular theory of love developed by psychologist Robert Sternberg.

What is passion?  It encompasses drives that lead to romance, physical attraction, desire and sexual consummation. It clearly involves physical and sexual components and dominates our thoughts and behavior. Intimacy encompasses feelings of closeness, connectedness, deep connections characterized by communication and trust. Finally, commitment encompasses, in the short term, the decision to remain with another, and in the long term, the shared achievements and plans made with that other.

The amount and type of love that we experience depends on the absolute strength of these three components. Different stages and types of love can be explained as different combinations of these three elements. A relationship based on a single element is less likely to survive than one based on two or three elements. There can be a no love which is the absence of all three of Sternberg’s components of love.

Now let’s look at different types of love and try to identify which love you feel in your heart.

Infatuated love is pure passion. Romantic relationships often start out as infatuated love and become romantic love as intimacy develops over time. This loves overwhelms you immediately. You are full of anxiety, lack of self confidence, you think about him/her all the time. The need to see your beloved is so huge that every obstacle to do that brings you lots of pain. In this love you ask for a love confirmation and lots of attention, you are jealous and too controlling which indicates your lack of self confidence. Without developing intimacy or commitment, infatuated love may disappear suddenly.

Empty love is characterized by commitment without intimacy or passion. Sometimes, a stronger love deteriorates into empty love. In cultures in which arranged marriages are common, relationships often begin as empty love and develop into one of the other forms with the passing of time.

Romantic love bonds individuals emotionally through intimacy and physically through passionate arousal.

Companionate love is an intimate, non-passionate type of love that is stronger than friendship because of the element of long-term commitment. Sexual desire is not an element of companionate love. This type of love is often found in marriages in which the passion has gone out of the relationship but a deep affection and commitment remain. This love lacks passion and sexual desire.

Fatuous love can be exemplified by a whirlwind courtship and marriage in which a commitment is motivated largely by passion without the stabilizing influence of intimacy. A relationship, however, whereby an individual party agrees to sexual favors purely out of commitment issues, or is pressured/forced into sexual acts does not comprise Fatuous love, and instead tends more to Empty love.

Consummate love is the complete form of love, representing an ideal relationship toward which people strive. Of all the varieties of love, consummate love is theorized to be that love associated with the “perfect couple”. According to Sternberg, such couples will continue to have great sex fifteen years or more into the relationship, they cannot imagine themselves happy over the long-term with anyone else, they overcome their few difficulties gracefully, and each delight in the relationship with one other.

We have now read a number of love forms identified by psychologists and philosophers. We often see love stereotypically as a chemical game of feelings which dominate you. In love one sacrifices to get something in return. The focus is one and only- not to be alone and love someone. Because love colors our life and brings sense to it. Love gives as wings and makes us fly. Yes, it should give positive emotions.

Now look at your love. If it brings you more pain and doubts than joy, maybe you simply fool yourself and maybe it is not love…

Or maybe it is love and you made mistake when you broke up with you lover, partner…And now you are confused because you want your ex back but don’t know how. Check out this site http://www.exbackSOS.com/ or visit my blog http://exbackSOS.blogspot.com/  , watch video, and I’m sure you will find answers to your questions about how to get back with your ex. Good luck!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/relationships-articles/crazy-thing-called-love-types-of-love-in-relationship3-most-important-components-1132031.html

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Types of Love in Relationship