Book Table of Contents. Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. 1986;93(2):119-135. doi:10.1037//0033-295x.93.2.119, Sternberg's Triangular Theory and the 7 Types of Love, Ⓒ 2020 About, Inc. (Dotdash) — All rights reserved, Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Tres metros sobre el cielo / Globo Media S.A. Fatuous love is typified by a whirlwind courtship in which passion motivates a commitment without the stabilizing influence of intimacy. These types of love may vary over the course of a relationship as well. Empty love is characterized by commitment without passion or intimacy. For many, love is a feeling of deep connectedness. According to psychologists, these types of couples have the ability of staying together for long; nevertheless, the sense of friendship is absent from their relationship. Though most have experienced it in their lives, defining love is challenging. Psychol Rev. This love consists of all 3 components: passion, emotional intimacy, and commitment. Philosophers and scientists have been struggling to answer this question for many years. Such relationships are much stronger than a usual friendship, and there’s a true attachment between the partners. In this type of love, commitment and passion are present while intimacy or liking is absent. One exception is the triangular theory of love, developed in the late 1980s by psychologist Robert Sternberg. In Dr. Sternberg's theory, the concept of love is a triangle that is made up of three components: Intimacy, which involves feelings of closeness, connectedness, and bondedness Passion, which involves feelings and desires that lead to physical attraction, romance, and sexual consummation The theory of six love styles was developed by John A. Lee in his 1973 book Colours of Love. These couples may be at the point where long-term commitment or future plans are still undecided. The initial infatuation is often very powerful. Triangular Theory of Love The triangular theory of love holds that love can be understood in terms of three components that … While this type of love is the strongest and most enduring, Sternberg suggests that this type of love is rare. Passion refers to the intense, physical attraction partners feel toward one another. The duplex theory of love integrates what previously were two separate theories: the triangular theory of love and the theory of love as a story. In fact, contemporary psychological understandings of love relate directly to the definitions of eros, philia, storge, and agape. It is stronger than friendship, because there is a long-term commitment, but there is minimal or no sexual desire. This type of love is often found in marriages where the passion has died, but the couple continues to have deep affection or a strong bond together. Psychologist Elaine Hatfield has described two different types of romantic love: compassionate (also known as companionate) and passionate. The three components of love interact in a systemic manner. In such a relationship, two people often don’t have the faintest idea of whether or not they have anything in common, but they stay together anyway. November 17, 2013 Type Lister Types of Human Behavior 0. Couples experiencing this type of love have only commitment without intimacy and passion. The person, who is in this kind of love, is unable to think about … It includes the intimacy or liking component and the commitment component of the triangle. One version … Physical Touch - Being close to and caressed by your partner. Mania love is a type of love that leads a partner into a type of madness and obsessiveness. Prev page. Thus, the Greek names for the types of love. This type of love includes commitment and passion and is familiar to many couples. From the perspective of evolutionary psychology the experiences and behaviors associated with love can be investigated in terms of how they have been shaped by human evolution. Relationships of this type often don’t reach the level of cohabitation or marriage. Love is essential to our well-being. Sternberg (1988) suggests that there are three main components of love: passion, intimacy, and commitment. Each of us differs in the ways that we receive love… In Dr. Sternberg's theory, the concept of love is a triangle that is made up of three components: Finding a balance between the physiological need for sex and the need for love is essential, and the complete absence of all three components is categorized as non-love. Storge ["store-jay"], or familial love, is a kind of philia pertaining to the love between parents and their children. What type of love have you already experienced? Love relationships vary depending on the presence or absence of each of these components. Psychologists say that the companionate type of relationship can arise after long years of an acquaintance or marriage. Altruistic Love (Agape) When you give to others, you are displaying selfless or altruistic love, called "agape" by the ancient Greeks. Six Types of Love. 5 Ways That Theories of Psychology Explain Love, 4 Common Questions About the Science of Love, Differences Between Compassionate and Passionate Love in Relationships, Intimacy vs. Sometimes it happens with the same partner: they get closer and move to a new level. It occurs when there is an imbalance between eros and ludus. Isolation: Forming Intimate Relationships With Others, Psychologist Robert Sternberg and Triarchic Theory of Intelligence, Infatuation Is Fun, but Long-term Is Lovely Too, How to Save a Relationship With Unconditional Love, The 10 Best Marriage Books for Couples of 2020. Psychology plays a role, too. If you haven’t made it to the seventh type of love yet, you and your partner may just need more time. 1.Falling in love takes one-fifth of a second. In this type of love, two persons feel attraction towards one another and to stay together, they don’t hesitate in sharing household chores, exchanging vows and getting married. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 50, 392-402. Often, witnessing this leaves others confused about how the couple could be so impulsive. This is mainly because love consists of so many things that may be present in some relationships yet lack in others. Here at Bright Side, we believe that feelings change over time. Couples who experience this kind of love have great sex several years into their relationship. When they do, many chalk the success up to luck. The color wheel theory of love is an idea created by Canadian psychologist John Alan Lee that describes six styles of love, using several of the Latin and Greek words for love.First introduced in his book Colours of Love: An Exploration of the Ways of Loving (1973), Lee defines three primary, three secondary and nine tertiary love styles, describing them in terms of the traditional color wheel. Just like philia, there is not physical or sexual attraction. Research has concluded that the disciplines of biology, psychology, and philosophy are all important in analyzing love; however, more research needs to be done in order to define what love actually is, and how we can apply this knowledge in our everyday lives. You can rarely see this type of relationship, yet if people manage to build them, they truly love each other. This type of love is when the intimacy or liking component is present, but feelings of passion or commitment in the romantic sense are missing. Passion is the physical attraction—the flame in the fire. In the 1980s, American psychologist Robert Sternberg developed a 3-component theory of love which includes emotional intimacy, passion, and commitment. There’s nothing inherently wrong with any of these setups, of course. Companionate love is an intimate, but non-passionate sort of love. In 1986, the psychologist Robert Sternberg, best known for his intelligence theories, came up with what's likely the most widely recognized theory on the psychology of love: the triangular theory of love (or "Sternberg's triangular theory of love"). An example of this range of meanings is that the love of a mother differs from the love of a spouse, which differs from the love of food. In fact, they don’t perceive their partner as a friend. This is the period when people barely know each other, yet feel a mutual attraction. Brain imaging studies of love suggest that 12 different areas of the brain are involved. Psychologists think that such couples can live together for a long time, but their happiness is relative. They enjoy sexual passion and affection. According to Dr. Sternberg, consummate love may be harder to maintain than it is to achieve, as the components of love must be put into action. 10 Plants That Can Harm Our Cats (and Some That Are Good for Them Too), 8 Truths We Still Believe That Ought to Be Tossed in the Trash, What Causes Us to Sleep Talk and How to Control It, 20 Photos That Will Challenge Anyone Who Ever Said, “Now I Have Seen Everything”, Patrick Stewart and His Wife Defy Their 38-Year Age Gap and Listen Only to Their Hearts, Chocolate Milk Is More Effective Than Any Other Sports Drink, Study Finds, 17 People Who Proudly Showed How Reality Beat Their Expectations, 20 Pics of People That Make Us Realize Time Flies, What People Did Before Toilet Paper Existed, Playing Video Games Can Actually Improve Our Mental Health, According to a Study. For instance, an arranged marriage may start out empty but flourish into another form of love over time. Eros, or “love of beauty” This is the romantic, sensual and passionate type of love (eros is, after all, the Greek term for “erotic” and “passionate”), characterized by a physical desire for an idealized other, or the lover. They cannot imagine themselves with anyone else. At times, a strong love deteriorates into empty love. A. Lee defined six varieties of relation­ship that might be labeled love.. Eros is romantic, passionate, love–what Tennov labeled limerence. Many parents must take on a patient and giving role, making sacrifices in order to put their children first. Description of Measure: A 42-item questionnaire designed to measure attitudes toward love. The first type of love … Psychologists are sure that a person experiences various types of love in their lifetime. All three components are required for the ideal romantic relationship, but the amount of each component required will differ from one relationship to another, or even over time within a relationship. Marni Feuerman is a psychotherapist in private practice who has been helping couples with marital issues for more than 27 years. Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. However, this love is more like a parent-child love. But other times it happens with different people. Yet this is a rather chaste agreement because this type of love lacks passion. Which personality type are you compatible with? Compassionate love involves feelings of mutual respect, trust, and affection while passionate love involves intense feelings and sexual attraction. What is love? The presence of a component of love or a combination of two or more components create seven kinds of love experiences. Our self-esteem, mental and emotional health, … Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. In such relationships, you can always be yourself. According to Dr. Sternberg, the importance of each component of love may differ from person to person and couple to couple. Lee used the following Greek words to describe the six different styles: According to his Triangular Theory Of Love, there are three components of love - passion (sexual or romantic attraction), intimacy (a deep sense of attachment, and a dynamic of sharing… Psychologists believe that such intimacy without passion and commitment will more likely result in friendship than full-fledged love. Of course, their levels aren’t always equal, but it’s important to note that they’re all here. The two types of love that are experienced to the greatest degree, especially among young adults, are eros and storge. Companionate love consists of commitment and intimacy. Considerable evidence supports a basic distinction, first offered in 1978, between passionate love (“a state of intense longing for union with another”) and other types of romantic love, labeled companionate love (“the affection we feel for those with whom our lives are deeply entwined”). It can be shown in multiple types of relationships, but it is most common between parents and children. Share your stories in the comments. People experience a low level of ludus, which is good because this type of love does not lead to healthy and long-lasting relationships. Intimacy is the sharing of details and intimate thoughts and emotions. This type of love looks and feels a lot like philia – affectionate love felt between friends. According to the theory, different individuals approach love relationships in different ways. Read our. Passionate love is an experience involving feelings of euphoria, intimacy, and sexual attraction, whereas companionate love is an experience involving affection, trust and concern for a partner's well-being. Knowing how the components interact may help highlight areas that may need improvement. If you discuss it with your partner, maybe over time you’ll be able to transform your type of love into a kind that both of you are happy with. Chapter Contents. Next page. In the types of love, the infatuation is probably the psychologist’s way of defining the “love at first sight”. For each of the following questions, choose the answer that best describes how your ideal partner would act. In this type of love, people are usually united by common interests, views on life, and the feeling of being understood. Types of Love Psychology. 1  What Is Passionate Love? This theory suggests that people can have varying degrees of intimacy, passion, and commitment at any one moment in time. These may eventually arise after the infatuation phase. According to Sternberg, relationships built on two or more elements are more enduring than those based on a single component. Each type of love refers to a type of color in the color wheel (Lee, 1973). All are based of works of the Greek philosophers Aristotle, and Plato. This is the kind of love that exists when 2 people are really attracted to each other and are ready to follow certain traditions like lavish weddings, exchanging vows, and sharing home duties, but don’t have true intimacy. Romantic love bonds people emotionally through intimacy and physical passion. The Psychology of Romantic Love — Whom We Find Attractive. This typology will help you define what relationship you’re in now, and whether it’s worth continuing it. This kind of love is consists of an immediate, intense physical attraction to someone. They manage to overcome differences and face stressors together. This may also be viewed as the love between very close friends and family members. In a book titled Colors of Love (1973), J. The six types of love above can be seen at the heart of many different types of relationships, from platonic friendships to whirlwind love affairs. Primary types of love 1. There has not been enough time for a deeper sense of intimacy, romantic love, or consummate love to develop. Is Love Biological or Is It a Cultural Phenomenon? Partners in this type of relationship have deep conversations that help them know intimate details about each other. Unfortunately, such marriages often don't work out. In fact, most romantic relationships may have a combination of these two types of love. Either way, your relationship may not fit into one of the standard 7 types of love and may balance between 2 of them. People in such couples are attracted to each other and feel comfortable next to one another, but they’re not ready to make serious commitments. Sternberg R. A triangular theory of love. According to him, it’s these 3 points that constitute the beautiful feeling that thousands of songs and books are written about. Quality Time - Spending meaningful time with your partner. Learn the best ways to manage stress and negativity in your life. Self Report Measures for Love and Compassion Research: Different Types of Love LOVE ATTITUDES SCALE Reference: Hendrick, C. & Hendrick, S. (1986). The Four Types of Love Relationships September 11, 2018 By Dr. Carmen Harra 1 Comment Filed Under: RELATIONSHIPS Tagged With: dr carmen harra I’ve always believed that the more you understand your present, the more you can gain control over your future. Sometimes this type of relationship appears after a big, fervent love, and sometimes it’s vice versa: people who experience empty love can change, which adds passion to their feelings. Later, thanks to his theory, Sternberg singled out 7 types of love and we’re going to tell you about them in this article. the importance of the study of philosophy and how it relates to the concept of love. What are the two main types of love? These three components form a triangle that defines multiple types of love: this is known as Sternberg’s triangular theory of love (Figure 2). Such couples will most likely be able to live a long life together and enjoy their marriage. If you've already taken your own personality test and are looking for love, this free quiz can show you which personality type best describes your dream partner. The seven different types of love are Eros, Philia, Storge, Agape, Ludus, Pragma, and Philautia. Pragma — Enduring Love Infatuation is characterized by feelings of lust and physical passion without liking and commitment. A theory and method of love. In this type of relationship, love is … In the 1980s, American psychologist Robert Sternberg developed a 3-component theory of love which includes emotional intimacy, passion, and commitment. But there is a strong bond, kinship, and familiarity between people. Without behavior and expression, passion is lost and love may revert back to the companionate type. This kind of love includes passion and intimacy.