Robert Sternberg created his triangular theory of love based on three dimensions: passion, intimacy, and commitment. The degree to which a relationship demonstrates these three dimensions determines the type of love relationship. People begin love relationships with those who care for them as children. These early relationships can have a great effect on their adult relationships.
• Write a 350- to 700-word response summarizing the three dimensions of love and how they interrelate to identify a specific type of love relationship.
• Review the First Attachment exercise on pp. 22–23 of the textbook.
• Write a 700- to 1,050-word response explaining how you believe an individual’s attachment style can affect the types of love relationships he or she has.
According to Robert Sternberg there are three dimensions of love, and the include passion, intimacy, and commitment. Sternberg created this triangle theory of love and based on the levels of passion, intimacy, and commitment indicates what type of relationship that person is in. First of the major components of love is passion. Passion is the motivational component of love and it reflects the attraction you have for a person. Most people associate passion with feelings of sexual desire and romance, and these feelings are also part of passion. Passion is a very strong feeling whether it is associated with feelings of love or hate. The next component of love is intimacy. Intimacy is that feeling of getting close to someone, trusting them, and sharing your innermost thoughts. This component really allows you to show the person you love who you really are and your feelings. Intimacy also allows you to explore what commonalities or interest you have with a person. Lastly is commitment and commitment is making the decision to maintain a long term relationship for the person you love. It is clear that each of these components is needed to truly love a person.