Love Flashcards
Defining Love
- Not easily definable and therefore measured by concepts of attachment, intimacy, compassion, and infatuation, which are related to and often treated as measures of love
- Love is viewed as the primary reason for getting and staying married
- People are often free to be themselves in a loving relationship and expose their feelings, fragilities, and strengths.
- There is acceptance and empathy for one’s partner, not focusing on oneself
- Requires commitment which is the willingness to work through problems and conflicts as opposed to calling it quits when problems arise; conflict is seen as an expected and normal part of growing together.
Defining Love cont.
- Committed lovers have fun together; they also share tedious times
- They express themselves freely
- They do not see problems as indications that their relationship is over
- They work to maintain their relationship
- Commitment is characterized by a willingness to work through problems and conflicts
- Authors, poets, song writers, philosophers, theologians, and so forth have tried to define love
LOVE
Marriages between individuals with a relatively secure attachment style that take place around age twenty-five and are between partners who grew up in intact families are most likely to be satisfying and stable
refers to close, connected, and bonded feelings in a loving relationship.
Sharing one’s self and one’s possessions, receiving and giving emotional support, having intimate communication
intimacy
refers to the drives that lead to romance, physical attraction, sexual consummation, and the like in a loving relationship
passion
consists of not only deciding to love someone but also deciding to maintain that love
commitment
________ love is composed of all three components (intimacy, passion, commitment) and is a complete love
Consummate
Attachment Theory & Loving Relationships
- A secure attachment style is associated with better prospects for a committed relationship
- An insecure/anxious attachment style entails “fear of abandonment” with possible consequences such as jealousy or trying to control one’s partner
- An avoidant attachment style leads one to pass up or shun closeness or intimacy.
6 Love styles
- Eros - characterized by intense emotional attachment and powerful sexual feelings or desires
- Storge - an affectionate, companionate style of loving focused on deepening mutual commitment, respect, friendship, and common goals
- Pragma - involves rational assessment of a potential partner’s assets and liabilities
- Agape - emphasizes unselfish concern for the beloved’s needs even when that requires personal sacrifice
- Ludus - emphasizes enjoying many sexual partners rather than searching for a serious relationship
- Mania - rests on strong sexual attraction an emotional intensity. It differs from eros in that manic partners are extremely jealous and moody, and their need for attention and affection is insatiable.
3 things love isn’t:
- Martyring - involves maintaining relationships by consistently minimizing one’s own needs while trying to satisfy those of one’s partner
- Manipulation - continual attempts to get others to feel or do what we want them to
- Limerence - not all the crazy feelings you get when you can’t get someone out of your mind. It is fantasizing about being with one’s partner in all kinds of situations and reviewing every detail about the last time you saw the person.
Legitimate needs
- Arise in the present rather than out of deficits accumulated in the past
- Do not depend on others to make themselves feel lovable or of worth
- Examples:
1. Ongoing social and emotional support
2. Emotional support and understanding
3. Companionship
4. Sexual sharing
Deficiency needs
- “Illegitimate needs” arise from feelings of self-doubt, unworthiness, and inadequacy
- Often, people who feel deficient count on others to convince them that they are worthwhile.
- Creates a dependence upon others for one’s self-worth
- No amount of loving will convince a person that she or he is worthwhile or lovable if that person doesn’t already believe it.
3 types of emotional dependence:
- A-frame (dependent)
- H-frame (independent)
- M-frame (interdependent)
A-frame Relationships
- Symbolized by the capital letter A
- Partners have a strong couple identity but little sense of themselves as individuals
- Like the long lines in the letter A, they lean on each other to an extreme
- This extreme dependence is called enmeshment by sociologists
- The relationship is structured so that if one lets go, the other falls
H-frame Relationships
- Extreme independence
- Partners stand virtually alone, each self-sufficient and neither influenced much by the other
- There is little or no couple identity and little emotionality
- If one lets go, the other hardly feels a thing
- Like roommates, not lovers