Love is a complex emotion. It is universal in nature and can be expressed in many different ways. According to psychologist Robert Sternberg, love can be described in terms of three components: intimacy, passion, and commitment. According to this theory, love is an experience that transcends cultures. In a romantic relationship, a couple shares interests, roles, virtues, and identity.
It is also subjective, meaning that different people experience it differently. However, humans have a deep fascination with it. As social animals, we are naturally attracted to love. We want to express our love in various ways, whether we want to forgive a partner for being late or finish a creative project. We may also be emotionally moved by the loss of a favorite sports team.
Love is a basic need in everyone’s life. Despite its importance, it is often difficult to define. Some people confuse it with other concepts, such as lust, attraction, and companionship. Love is an intense feeling of euphoria and affection. In fact, the dictionary describes love as a “deep affection for oneself or another.”
The emotion complex view of love emphasizes the interrelationship between people. In contrast to the rigid and reductionistic view of love, this approach enables people to recognize the emotional interconnections between individuals and avoid over-specifying the formal object of love. In addition, the emotion complex view does not require a formal object for the feeling of love.
In human relationships, passionate love is most prominent during the early stages. This kind of love has a biological and evolutionary basis. For instance, a person feels good when their partner is happy. But if the feelings of passion are diluted, there is little likelihood that the relationship will last. In this case, it would be better to seek counseling or therapy.
Various philosophers have attempted to characterize love by making distinctions among its three kinds. They categorized love into storge (love among family members), phila (love between friends), and eros, which is the classic romantic love. Agape, on the other hand, was regarded as the divine love.
Another view of love emphasizes “robust concern.” In this view, the beloved’s emotional responsiveness is an effect of concern, rather than an actual constituent of love. However, this approach fails to account for the intuitive “depth” of love. Thus, it misses the essential characteristic of love as an autonomous interacting agent.
