Love 1 (What Is Love?) Flashcards
(22 cards)
What is Hatfields theory of love?
2 types of love - passionate & companionate
Not mutually exclusive - can coexist
Passionate may turn to companionate
What is passionate love?
State of longing for union with another, accompanied by physical arousal - Hatfield, 1988
Tendency to think obsessively & idealise the object of love
Reciprocated love associated with fulfilment & ecstasy, unrequited love associated with anxiety, emptiness & despair
Transient form of love
Intense & emotional state, want to be with someone, felt at beginning of relationships
Diluted over time - transforms time, transforms to companionate
What is companionate love?
Affection & tenderness felt for those with whom our lives are deeply entwined - Hatfield, 1993
Combines feelings of attachment, commitment & intimacy
Can be in non-sexual & sexual relationships
Develops slowly, seen as loyalty, more enduring & stable
What is the passionate love scale? (Hatfield & Sprecher, 1986)
Made up of 3 components
Cognitive components - intrusive thinking, preoccupation
Emotional components - attraction, longing for reciprocity
Behavioural components - maintaining physical closeness, service to the other
Good psychometric properties
What do studies using toe PLS show?
Cross-cultural differences in passionate love (Hatfield & Rapson, 2005)
Neural bases of passionate love (Aron et al, 2005)
Changes in passionate love over family life cycle (Tucker & Aron, 1993)
Degree of bonding with an abusive partner (Graham et al, 1995)
Effects of having married couples engage in novel activities (Aron et al, 2000)
What is the 3 factor theory of love (Hatfield & Walster, 1981)?
Aims to explain how passionate love occurs in 3 factors
Cultural exposure, physiological arousal and appropriate love object
Lead to passionate, romantic love
What is the arousal & attraction on a shaky bridge study showing (Dutton & Aron, 1974)
Misattribution of arousal - not actually love for woman but from exhilarating experience
What does cross-cultural research show about passionate love?
Cross-cultural evidence from anthropological research in different societies (166)
Different expressions
How does love differ in marriages in relationships?
Passionate love seen as a pre-condition & highly valued & prioritised when selecting partner in some cultures
Others arranged marriages are the norm, and love may develop after the union rather than before
How does the expression of love differ across cultures?
Individualistic cultures - personal expression of love (e.g. kissing, hand holding) as norm & even expected, especially in young romantic relationships
Collectivist - taking care of family needs/ maintaining harmony in family rather than openly discussing feelings of love
Public displays of affection may be considered inappropriate/ disrespectful in some cultures, restricted to private spaces, especially if unmarried
What is the influence of culture on passion & intimacy?
Cultures with more strict views on relationships - sexual intimacy reserved for marriage (guided by religious rules/ societal norms)
Other cultures, greater emphasis on immediate romantic chemistry & physical attraction as central components to relationship
What are cultural differences in commitment?
In some cultures, commitment as lifelong duty, with strong societal & familial expectations around staying together
In other cultures, more flexible approach to relationships, where commitment is contingent on personal happiness, fulfilment/ compatibility over time
What is Sternbergs triangular theory of love?
All relationships can be described according to 3 components
Components can interact with each other
Intimacy, passion & commitment
What does each component represent in Sternbergs theory?
Intimacy - emotional component, feelings of closeness, warmth & sharing (self-disclosure)
Passion - motivational component, physical attraction, excitement, sexual desires & extreme longing
Commitment - cognitive component, resolve to stay in a relationship
What are the types of love in Sternbergs theory?
Liking - intimacy alone - friendships
Infatuation - passion alone - purely lustful desires
Empty love - commitment alone - together for common purpose
Romantic love - passion & intimacy - care & desire without commitment
Companionate love - intimacy & commitment - may be successful long-term marriage
Fatuous love - passion & commitment
Consumate love - all components - relationship people strive for
What is the most important component?
Commitment
Passion can come and go
Don’t always feel like intimacy
What is Sternbergs triangular love scale (1986; 1997)?
45 item scale measuring intimacy, passion & commitment
Factor analysis confirmed 3 factor structure corresponding to components of theory
3 factors highly intercorrelated - unifactorial scale
What do studies using STLS show?
Level of 3 components varies as a function of relationship duration (Wojciszke, 2002)
Levels vary across the lifespan (Sumter et al, 2013)
Confirmation of Sternbergs theoretical construct of love across 45 countries (Sorokowski et al, 2020)
What does the geometry of love triangles show?
Amount of love (size of triangle)
Balance of love (shape of triangle)
What does each love triangle represent?
Real & ideal triangles
Self & other perceived triangles
Feeling & action triangles
What happens when love goes awry?
Insufficient love - too small to sustain relationships
Mismatch between actual & ideal triangle
Mismatch actual triangles between self & others
Mismatching between feeling & action triangle
Changing triangles
What are the strengths of Sternbergs triangular theory?
Allows for description of variety of relationships - realistic
Allows for existence of different types of love & does recognise relationships may change over time
