According to Robert J. Sternberg's, the triangular theory of love implies that there are three components through which love can be understood by. These components are a commitment, intimacy, and passion. Each of the components clearly describes a different love aspect. Intimacy is the feeling of closeness or connectedness in intimate relationships. As pointed out by Sternberg (1997) it is made of the feelings that bring about the experience of warmth in a relationship. Passion is the experience of strong emotions that lead to physical or sexual attraction. Decision or commitment can be either in short-term or long –term. In the previous, it is when one decides that they love the other person in the relationship. In long-term, it refers to one’s commitment to maintaining the relationship.
All the three components interact with each other and are therefore necessary for an intimate relationship. However, each of their importance may be different in different relationships. Importance may also vary over time in a given relationship (DeGenova, 2008). A high level of intimacy will most likely lead to greater passion or greater commitment, while greater commitment may lead to high levels of intimacy and passion.
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The social exchange theory suggests that partners focus mainly on the positive and negative outcomes of their relationships. The positive or negative feeling about a relationship is due to three factors; Cost-benefit analysis, the level of comparison, and comparison level of alternatives (DeLamater & Ward, 2013) .
In regards to this topic, a cost-benefit analysis is used to determine the worth of a relationship, while focusing on the rewards and the costs. Potential costs in a relationship are mainly the negative aspects, for instance, being dependent. On the other hand, the reward of a relationship includes the positive features such as how people in a relationship feel around each other.
The level of comparison focuses on the potential anticipation of the current relationship, using the past experiences as a metric (Sabatelli, 1999). Basically, the comparison level compares the cost and benefits of the current and previous relationship.
The comparison level of alternatives element highlights the expectations that people think they will get when they enter into a new relationship. For clarity, people with a low level for alternatives tend to find it difficult to leave a relationship to start another. These elements influence the decision to stay or leave a relationship (Sabatelli, 1999).
References
DeGenova, M. (2008). Intimate relationships, marriages & families (1st ed.). Boston, MA: McGraw-Hill.
DeLamater, J., & Ward, A. (2013). Handbook of Social Psychology (1st ed.). Dordrecht: Springer
Sabatelli, R. M. (1999). "Marital Commitment and Family Life Transitions: A Social Exchange Perspective on the Construction and Deconstruction of Intimate Relationships." Handbook of Interpersonal Commitment and Relationship Stability, ed. W. H. Jones and J. M. Adams. New York: Plenum Press
Sternberg, R. J. (May 01, 1997). Construct validation of a triangular love scale. European Journal of Social Psychology, 27, 3, 313-335.
