Chapter 12: Close Relationships: Passion, Intimacy and Sexuality

Question 1

What is love

Answer 1

namely investment in the well-being of the other for their own sake.

Question 2

types of love

Answer 2

 romantic love.
 parental love.
 non-sexual love between two adult female friends.
 the caring love of someone who takes care of a chronically ill man.

Question 3

Passionate love:

Answer 3

strong feelings of longing, desire, and excitement toward a special person.

Question 4

Companionate love (affectionate love):

Answer 4

mutual understanding and caring to make the relationship succeed.

Question 5

Love and culture

Answer 5

1. Companionate love is often considered a more reliable form.
2. Passionate love is universal, but cultural factors shape how it is experienced and perceived.
3. Cultural systems influence individuals’ experiences and perceptions of love.

Question 6

Love across time:

Answer 6

1. companionate love may be the
   most effective emotion for making it succeed and survive in the long run.
2. sceptical about passionate love as the basis for marriage is that it tends to be temporary.
3. if the relationship continues, it tends to rely more on companionate love.
4. decrease in passion can be found in data about frequency of sexual intercourse.

Question 7

Triangle of love

Answer 7

• Passion
• Commitment
• Intimacy

Question 8

Passion

Answer 8

an emotional state characterised by high bodily arousal, such as increased heart rate and blood pressure.

> characterised by high bodily arousal
Passion makes people want to be together and, in many cases, makes them want to kiss, hold hands.

Passion can arise quickly.
Passion also tends to diminish after a while.

Question 9

Intimacy

Answer 9

a feeling of closeness, mutual understanding and mutual concern for each other’s welfare and happiness.

intimacy is the common core of all love relationships.

feeling close to the other person. Empathy is important in intimacy;

involves a mutual concern for each other’s welfare and happiness.

Intimate partners try to take care of each other,
and they emphasise communication about their
lives, feelings, and problems.

Intimacy, in contrast, arises more slowly but can continue increasing for a long time.

Question 10

Commitment

Answer 10

a conscious decision that remains constant.

a conscious decision that remains
constant.

they refer more to a conscious decision than to a feeling state.

helps when there are problems and conflicts.

commitment to the relationship reduced aggression within it.

higher levels of relationship commitment made people more sensitive and vulnerable to relationship problems in the short run

Question 11

What is the most common ingredient of love

Answer 11

Intimacy

Question 12

Benefits of commitment:

Answer 12

1.Appealing relationship, passion, and rising intimacy encourage commitment.
2. Fear of being single is a strong motivator for commitment.
3. Deep-seated fear of ending up alone leads to settling for less.
4. This fear results in lowered standards for relationship partners.
5. Individuals with this fear are more willing to pair up with lower-quality partners.
6. They are less likely to initiate breakups, fearing loneliness.

Question 13

Different types of relationships

Answer 13

• Exchange
• Communal

Question 14

Exchange relationships:

Answer 14

relationships based on reciprocity and fairness, in which people expect something in return.

seem much more powerful for driving progress and increasing wealth.

promote achievement, increase wealth

Question 15

Communal relationships

Answer 15

relationships based on mutual love and concern, without expectation of repayment.

possessions are shared freely by all tend to be less wealthy

make people feel safe and secure

Question 16

One difference between communal and exchange relationships

Answer 16

is whether the people keep track.

Question 17

Communal interactions are healthier and more mature in close relationships:

Answer 17

• Help each other more
• Feel better about helping each other
• More responsible to each other’s emotional states
• Keep track of each other’s needs
• Promote a greater sense of unity and shared identity

Question 18

Three types of attachment

Answer 18

1. Avoidant attachment
2. Secure attachment
3. Anxious attachment

Question 19

Avoiding attachment

Answer 19

avoidant individuals, who are uncomfortable when others want to get too close and who
try to maintain some distance between themselves and relationship partners.

Question 20

Secure attachment

Answer 20

secure individuals.
secure attachment is characterised by a
comfortable balance: the secure person is happy to become close and intimate with others and does not worry inordinately about being abandoned or hurt.

Question 21

Anxious/ ambivalent attachment

Answer 21

want to be as close as possible, who ideally
would like to experience a complete merger with someone else,

Question 22

Attachment theory

Answer 22

a theory that classifies people into four attachment styles (secure, preoccupied, dismissing avoidant, and fearful avoidant) based on two dimensions (anxiety and avoidance).

Question 23

Dimension one: anxiety

Answer 23

refers to attitudes toward the self

Question 24

Dimension two: avoidance

Answer 24

refers to attitudes toward the other person.

Question 25

Secure attachment

Answer 25

style of attachment in which people are low on anxiety and low on avoidance; they trust their partners, share their feelings, provide, and receive support and comfort, and enjoy their relationships.