Passion . Intimacy . Commitment

Love Triangles (by Robert Sternberg; referenced by from SYMBIS)

• Passion involves the emotional arousal that leads to romance, physical attraction and sexual interaction.
• Intimacy involves a feeling of closeness developed by people who mutually risk by sharing their innermost thoughts and feelings. This causes a strong feeling of trust.
• Commitment occurs when a person (at first) makes a decision to love and (later) decides to maintain the relationship that has developed.

These three components can be diagrammed in a triangular shape, with each factor indicated by the length of a side of the triangle. In some types of love only one component is evident. In that case, the other two sides are represented by dashes rather than a solid line. The relative length of each side indicates the emphasis of each component. The size of the triangle indicates the intensity of the relationship – with a larger triangle indicating more intensity.

The balanced version of love – with almost equal amounts of passion, intimacy and commitment – is called consummate love or conjugal love. This seems to be the type of love that most of us are seeking. To increase the intensity of love by having a growing love triangle; not neglecting any of its sides . However, even in the best relationship, the levels of these factors will vary as the relationship progresses. The point is – how do we manage it, evaluate ourselves, and learn to balance the different elements for a healthy relationship of true love.

~ by uskomak on 30 September, 2007.