7 Types of Love
-
Liking or Friendship Love. Although you experience an emotional connection, you feel no sexual attraction & desire no long-term commitment.
-
Infatuated Love. There's a strong mutual sexual attraction, yet intimacy and long-term commitment are lacking.
-
Empty Love. Emotional closeness and sexual attraction are non-existent; however, you maintain long-term commitment to one another for various reasons.
-
Romantic Love. While you both have developed strong intimacy and sexual connection, there is no plan for long-term commitment.
-
Companionate Love. You experience an emotional closeness and a strong long-term commitment, but you feel no sexual attraction to one another.
-
Fatuous [Foolish] Love. While sexual attraction exists with long-term commitment, you experience no emotional closeness.
-
Consummate [Complete] Love. After a substantial amount of time, you've fallen intimately and passionately in love with a desire for long-term commitment.
-
Sternberg, R. J. (1986) A triangular theory of love. Psychological Review, 93, 119-135.
-
Sternberg, R. J. (1988) The Triangle of Love: Intimacy, Passion, Commitment, Basic Books (ISBN 0465087469)
2. Passion: Sexual Attraction
1. Intimacy: Emotional Closeness
No matter gay/lesbian, bi, transgender, queer/questioning, or straight, we all deserve to experience "consummate" or "complete" love in our lives.