Your heart seems to jump out of your chest when you look at him/her. Life seems a never-ending journey of happiness that hold millions of surprises for you. You feel good about yourself without any particular reason and are lost in his/her thoughts. Daydreaming seems to be you full time job that keep your lover next to you even when he/she is miles away from you. How would you describe these feelings? Is this love?
Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory
Sternberg believes that three main factors are involved in a feeling called love. Intimacy, passion and commitment play a crucial role in your love life. Intimacy describes the feelings of trust and friendship in a relationship that strengthen the bond. The physical aspect of your love life along with attraction and arousal keep the spark alive. The level of commitment takes your relationship to yet another level and makes it truly divine and everlasting.
Type of love and its equations:
The triangular theory of love further puts forward the types of love:
Liking
This type of love may involve a high level of intimacy that has less or no place for commitment or passion. Friendship is the best example of such relationships since you love to be with the person but do not feel the desire to be together all your life.
Companionate Love
Companionate love is often described in terms of long-term relationships. Such relationships do not involve passion but are usually based on intimacy and long-term commitment. You feel responsible for the person but you cannot help feeling annoyed with his/her behavior.
Empty love
There are couple who are forced to stay together and usually have empty love for one another. They are together but fail to relate to each other for number of reasons. These relationships involve long-term commitment but lack passion and intimacy.
Fatuous Love
Couple often teenagers who make hasty decision to stay together have commitment and passion for each other but have no space for intimacy in their relationships. Fatuous love is the result of their efforts to give a direction to their love life that sometime cost them even their relationship. Such relationships can get successful but with a lot of hard work on part of both the partners.
Infatuation
Relationships that have nothing but passion are usually difficult to manage. Such relationships seem quite exciting in the beginning but as soon as the reality steps in love fades away as if it was never there. There are real life couples who base their relationships on infatuation but soon realize the mistake and end the relationship. With time if you can develop intimacy and long-term commitment in your relationship, there are chance to have a successful relationship.
Romantic love
All individuals dream to have romantic love. The truth however, is far away from realty. No doubt romantic love has passion and intimacy but lack commitment. It is important to have long-term commitment to take your relationship to yet another level. Such love affairs often need the strength and support of commitment, which keeps the lovers together all their lives.
Consummate Love
Something that makes the consummate love special is the fact that it involves all three essential factors and that too in equal amounts. Such couples are passionate about each other, are intimate and ready for a long-term commitment. They love and respect their partners who feel lucky to have them in their lives.
The triangular theory of love not only suggests the different types of love but also makes you aware of the different stages in your love life. There is always a possibility to have an ideal love story in real life if you are ready to give it your hundred percent.
