Theories of Love

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It is instilled into our brains at a young age. Everyone, must end up happily married. From Disney princesses, to characters in books. There is no excuse to not ending your story with a magical and happy ending, which society portrays as marriage. However, the idea of love and being able to “love” someone so much that they are the only person you wish to commit to be becoming harder in a society where love is such a commonly tossed around word that it no longer has a direct definition. Love can be described as a feeling, a thought, an emotion, and an action. So, what is the common concept placed around love? How does love define a relationship? What role does love play in marriage? Does the common idea of marriage alter the definition of love? There are several theories that are placed around the ideas of love and marriage. A few of those will be examined as well as an evaluation of the questions proposed earlier. First, a few theories and ideas on common concepts placed around love.
Sternberg established the triangular theory of love (Regan, 234) to describe the three main points in love which are intimacy, passion, and the decision or commitment. The intimacy aspect of the triangular theory or love relates to the emotional aspects of love which include feeling close to said person, bonding with said person and the overall feeling of romantic warmth (Regan, PG. 234). The passion aspect of the triangular theory of love relates to the motivational aspect which can be associated with the idea of sexual pleasure and sexual attraction, this is the more physical aspect of romantic relationships (Regan, PG. 234). The decision/commitment component is associated with the short term decision a person makes to be with the other person as t...

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...ernberg’s triangular theory of love was looked into and broken down into the eight different kinds of love relationships which included non-love, liking, infatuation, empty love, romantic love, companionate love, fatuous love, and consummate or complete love. Each of the loves hit a different point on the triangle, but only consummate contained a bit from every point. The idea of society’s common conception of love was also looked into and how it affects the definition and ideas of current marriage and love. Intimacy, passion, and decision or commitment is essential for a stable and happy love relationships.

References
Interviews with
Mia Cripisi and Chase Mercer
KayLee Farmer
Eric Smith and Hali Wimbush
Sarah Rouke and Cody Dasheel

Regan, Pamela C.. The mating game: a primer on love, sex, and marriage. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications, 2003. Print.

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