Sternberg's Theory of Love: Intimacy, Commitment, Passion
Summary
TLDRRobert Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love, introduced in 1985, breaks down love into three key components: intimacy, passion, and commitment. It outlines six types of love based on these elements, ranging from nonlove to consummate love, which is the ideal form with all components present. The theory suggests that maintaining consummate love is challenging and not permanent. It invites viewers to consider additional factors affecting relationships and whether the forms of love are universal or subjective.
Takeaways
- 📚 Robert Sternberg introduced the 'Triangular Theory of Love' in 1985, aiming to explain the complexities of love through three core components.
- ❤️ The three components of love are intimacy, passion, and commitment, each representing a different aspect of interpersonal relationships.
- 🔍 Intimacy is the feeling of attachment and closeness, essential for emotional bonding in relationships.
- 🔥 Passion encompasses the intense emotions and desires associated with romantic and sexual attraction.
- 💍 Commitment involves the decision to stay together and make future plans, binding the other two components.
- 🚫 Nonlove is the absence of all three components, often seen in casual interactions and acquaintances.
- 👫 Friendship is characterized by the presence of intimacy alone, without passion or commitment.
- 💘 Infatuated Love occurs with passion but lacks intimacy and commitment, often seen in crushes and purely sexual relationships.
- 💔 Empty Love is marked by the presence of commitment but the absence of intimacy and passion, like in unhappy marriages.
- 💞 Romantic Love combines intimacy and passion but lacks commitment, making it easier to dissolve.
- 👪 Companionate Love is defined by intimacy and commitment without passion, common in long-term marriages and strong platonic relationships.
- 💫 Fatuous Love is a whirlwind of romance with commitment and passion but no intimacy, often short-lived.
- 💖 Consummate Love is the ideal form of love where all three components are present, representing the goal for many in relationships.
- 🌐 The theory suggests that the forms of love may not be universal and could be subject to cultural and individual differences.
- 🤔 Sternberg's theory prompts reflection on other factors that may influence relationships, beyond the three components outlined.
Q & A
What is the 'Triangular Theory of Love' presented by Robert Sternberg?
-The 'Triangular Theory of Love' is a theory by Robert Sternberg that explains love through three components: intimacy, passion, and commitment. It is often represented as a triangle, with each side of the triangle representing one of these components.
What does intimacy represent in Sternberg's theory?
-Intimacy in Sternberg's theory represents the feeling of attachment, closeness, and connectedness in a relationship.
How is passion defined in the context of Sternberg's Theory of Love?
-Passion, according to Sternberg, is the fiery depth and intenseness experienced when you like someone, including the drive connected to romantic and sexual attraction.
What role does commitment play in Sternberg's model of love?
-Commitment ties the other two components, intimacy and passion, together. It involves short-term and long-term decisions to remain with one another and plan for the future.
How many forms of love does Sternberg's Theory of Love identify?
-Sternberg's Theory of Love identifies six forms of love, which are different combinations of the three components: intimacy, passion, and commitment.
What is meant by 'Nonlove' in Sternberg's theory?
-'Nonlove' in Sternberg's theory is the absence of all three components of love: intimacy, passion, and commitment. It characterizes most casual interactions and relationships without deep emotional bonds.
Can you explain 'Friendship' as a form of love in Sternberg's theory?
-'Friendship' in Sternberg's theory exists when only intimacy is present, without the intense passion or commitment of romance. It can be the root for other forms of love to develop from.
What is 'Infatuated Love' and what are its characteristics?
-'Infatuated Love' occurs when there is passion but both intimacy and commitment are absent. It is often characterized by crushes and solely sexual relationships that lack deeper emotional connections.
What is 'Empty Love' and how does it differ from other forms?
-'Empty Love' is characterized by the presence of commitment but the absence of intimacy and passion. It is often seen in unhappy marriages where the emotional and romantic aspects have faded.
How is 'Romantic Love' different from 'Infatuated Love'?
-'Romantic Love' is a combination of intimacy and passion but lacks commitment. It involves both physical and emotional bonds but is easier to dissolve without legal issues.
What is 'Companionate Love' and how does it manifest in relationships?
-'Companionate Love' is characterized by a combination of intimacy and commitment, with the absence of passion. It is observed in long-term marriages and strong platonic relationships where affection remains despite the lack of intense passion.
Can you describe 'Fatuous Love' and provide an example?
-'Fatuous Love' is the combination of commitment and passion without intimacy. An example is the whirlwind romance and subsequent short-lived marriage of Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries.
What is 'Consummate Love' and why is it considered the ideal form of love?
-'Consummate Love' is at the center of the triangle, representing the presence of all three components: intimacy, passion, and commitment. It is considered the ideal form of love as it combines all aspects of a fulfilling relationship.
What does Sternberg caution about maintaining 'Consummate Love'?
-Sternberg cautions that maintaining 'Consummate Love' is harder than achieving it, and it is not a permanent form of love, implying that effort and work are required to sustain this ideal form of love.
Do you think the six forms of love are universal or subjective to each couple?
-This is a subjective question and opinions may vary. Some may argue that the forms are universal, while others may believe that each couple's experience and definition of love can be unique.
Outlines
💞 Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love
Robert Sternberg introduced the Triangular Theory of Love in 1985, which breaks down love into three fundamental components: intimacy, passion, and commitment. Intimacy is the sense of closeness and attachment, passion is the intense feeling and desire associated with romantic and sexual attraction, and commitment involves the decision to stay together and plan a future. Sternberg's theory outlines six different forms of love based on various combinations of these components, ranging from Nonlove, which lacks all components, to Consummate Love, where all three are present, representing the ideal form of love.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Triangular Theory of Love
💡Intimacy
💡Passion
💡Commitment
💡Nonlove
💡Friendship
💡Infatuated Love
💡Empty Love
💡Romantic Love
💡Companionate Love
💡Fatuous Love
💡Consummate Love
Highlights
Robert Sternberg introduced the Triangular Theory of Love in 1985.
The theory identifies three core components of love: intimacy, passion, and commitment.
Intimacy is characterized by feelings of attachment, closeness, and connectedness.
Passion represents the intense romantic and sexual attraction experienced in a relationship.
Commitment involves the decision to remain with a partner and plan for the future.
Nonlove is the absence of all three components of love.
Friendship is a type of love characterized solely by intimacy.
Infatuated Love is marked by passion without intimacy or commitment.
Empty Love is a relationship with commitment but lacking intimacy and passion.
Romantic Love combines intimacy and passion but lacks commitment.
Companionate Love is defined by intimacy and commitment without passion.
Fatuous Love involves commitment and passion but is devoid of intimacy.
Consummate Love is the ideal form of love with all three components present.
Maintaining Consummate Love is more challenging than achieving it.
The six forms of love may not be universal and could be subjective to each couple.
Psych2Go is planning to create merchandise and is open to suggestions from viewers.
Transcripts
In 1985, Robert Sternberg
presented a theory that has piqued the interest of various people
A theory concretising something that has baffled the minds
and wrenched the hearts of many - Love
He called it the "Triangular Theory of Love"
As it's best explained in the form of a triangle
but it's more commonly known as "Sternberg's Theory of Love"
In the context of interpersonal relationships
there are three components of love
intimacy, passion and commitment
According to the theory, intimacy
is the feeling of attachment
closeness, and connectedness
Passion, on the other hand, is
the fiery depth and intenseness you experience when you like someone
encompassing the drive connected to
both romantic and sexual attraction
The third component, commitment, ties the other two together
as it encompasses short-term and
long-term decisions to remain with one another and plan for the future
According to Sternberg's Theory of Love
there are six forms of love which are
combinations of the three components previously described
One, Nonlove
Nonlove is merely the absence
of all three components
This basically characterises the majority of our personal relationships which consists of simple
casual interactions
It could apply to your acquaintances, or to people who you're not particularly attached to
Two, Friendship
Friendship exists when only intimacy is present
This is the set of feelings you experience
without the intense passion or commitment of romance
It can however be a root for other forms of love to manifest from
Three, Infatuated Love
Infatuation occurs when passion is present
and both intimacy and commitment is absent
Crushes fall under this category
Solely sexual relationships are also included
as they are only bounded by carnal desires and nothing more
This is the most common root of romantic love as it's believed that
intimacy develops over time
But if neither intimacy nor commitment develops, this type of love
can fizzle over time
Four, Empty Love
An example of empty love is an unhappy marriage
where intimacy and the flames of passion for your partner is gone
As a strong love deteriorates into empty love
nothing is left but the contract of marriage itself
It's characterised by the absence of intimacy and passion
despite the presence of commitment
Arranged marriages, on the other hand, can start out as empty loves
but can develop into other forms of love over time
Five, Romantic Love
Romantic love is a combination of intimacy and passion
Relationships under this category
not only involve physical bonds, but emotional bonds as well
This is one of the most common stepping stones to married life
However, it lacks commitment
This type of relationship is easier to dissolve, with
no legal issues, if you and your partner have had enough of it
Six, Companionate Love
Companionate Love is characterised by a combination of
intimacy and commitment, and the absence of passion
It's stronger than Friendship Love because of the addition of commitment
It's observed in long-term marriages where
you don't necessarily need passion in order to stay in love with your partner
because affection still remains
Companionate Love can also be found among family members and close
friends who have strong platonic friendships
Seven, Fatuous Love
A good example of a Fatuous Love is when Kim Kardashian
married Kris Humphries, only to divorce him 72 days later
It's a whirlwind of romance we usually see on television
Fatuous Love is the combination of commitment and passion
without intimacy
Eight, Consummate Love
Consummate Love sits at the very centre of the triangle
as it's said to be the perfect ideal type of love
All three components are present in this type of love
and it's the goal for people in relationships
According to Sternberg, couples experiencing
Consummate Love would continue to be sexually intimate years into the relationship
and they can't imagine themselves being happier with other partners
They work through their difficulties and
find a light in their relationships
However, Sternberg cautions that maintaining this relationship is harder than
achieving it and it's not a permanent form of love
With that, do you agree with the types of love that
Sternberg proposes?
What other factors do you think affect a relationship?
Do you think the six forms of love are global?
Or is there a subjective perspective for every couple?
Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below
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some cool merch for you guys and we're taking suggestions
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