Love defines the character, attitude, and behavior of people. It is essential to the well-being of human. It can be experienced in different ways, such as between parents and children, siblings, friends, and lovers. Robert Sternberg introduced triangular theory to explain the three components of love as: intimacy, passion, and commitment (Feuerman, 2018). In the real world, survival of a relationship, for instance, marriage, has to depend on the three components. When one factor is not available, the chances of survival are reduced significantly. In a marriage, the partners should be intimate, seen by how close or connected they are. Passion is portrayed through sexual intimacy, and when either the husband or wife becomes unfaithful, chances of break up are high. Commitment is seen by how the two partners work and support each other in hardships and good times. The concepts of love, as presented by Sternberg, are essential in understanding human development and interactions.
I learned about the seven types of love and how they relate to human development and interaction with people and environment. They are empty love, infatuation, liking, fatuous love, romantic love, compassionate love, and consummate love. The seven types of love apply in different angles of life. These types of love are instilled from an early age, persist in adolescent and adulthood, as indicated by Santrock (2015). A child brought up in a loving home, for instance, understand how they should treat others despite the differences. Such children can express their feelings without fear. When forming relationships in later life, they are intimate, romantic, and committed to their partners. Children with no love experience at the infant and early years, face love issues in adulthood, and they have problems forming relationships. People who never experienced love face hardships in being intimate, but can be committed and passionate, as required by their immediate environment such as presence of children.
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I established that it is during early childhood when people learn about emotional connectedness. A child brought up in a family where they are mistreated develop empty love in the future. A child abused verbally and physically by her mother; for example, develops hates but has to stay in the family as she is too young to move out. In marriage, that woman will have empty love, feeling the need to fulfill her obligation of the commitment of the husband, but intimacy and romance are presence. Empty love in relationships can also be explained by cultural practices such as arranged marriages, where one has a duty towards their partner (Feuerman, 2018). In adolescence, the same experience can be described, where a family relationship determines the social connectedness of a child with opposite-sex. Lack of love is highly related to delinquent behavior among teenagers as they seek a sense of belonging where they are listened to and feel appreciated.
The seven types of love are functional, and that explains the uniqueness in relationships. I believe that any kind of love is functional when partners agree on how to carry on. There is nothing like an ideal romantic relationship, considering the differences in opinions, ideas, and thoughts a couple has. Most relationship at the beginning has all three components of life. Santrock (2015) introduces the concept of socio-economic development in early adulthood. The concept explains how partners interact with other people and develop other interests, such as physical attraction to people outside the marriage setting. In such a case, fatuous love can apply, where a couple is committed and passionate, prompted by the presence of their children and the need to create a stable family for them.
The types of love are influenced by surroundings, such as family relations. The kind of love a child is shown in the early stages of love is likely to persist in the future. People express different types of love, helping them to co-existence, despite differences in ideas and opinions.
References
Feuerman, M. (2018, November 12). Sternberg's Triangular Theory and the 7 Types of Love. Retrieved November 6, 2019, from https://www.verywellmind.com/types-of-love-we-experience-2303200 .
Santrock, J. W. (2015). Life-Span Development. McGraw-Hill Education , 15 , 1–614.
