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Compassionate Love

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Compassionate Love
Critical thinking assignment Marital Research on Compassionate Love 10/4/06

1) A definition of compassionate love, according to the authors is a globally positive view of one partner that is linked to an accurate understanding of the partners’ specific strengths and weaknesses. In addition, compassionate love is a love that recognizes the partner’s specific positive and negative qualities, while simultaneously affirming the partners overall worth. In retrospect, this understanding and accepting of a partner’s specific strengths and weaknesses may represent a selfless act, in that spouses endure the costs of their partner’s faults, weaknesses, and limitations-but love them anyway.

2) I think critically evaluating the authors’ definition of compassionate love is difficult. From experience and being in the attendance of many self-improvement classes, I have understood compassionate to be characterized by mutual respect, attachment, affection, and trust. Compassionate love usually develops out of feelings of mutual understanding and shared respect for each other. It can be defined as the selfless desire to enhance the well-being of another in a marriage or any other relationship.

3) The authors may believe it to be important to study compassionate love in newlyweds because couples who fit this definition of “compassionate love” will, in fact have longer, more supportive marriages. Compassionate love will be a way of reconciling elements of selflessness and self interest and this is a crucial element of successful marriage over time. In addition, the authors may want this research to promote compassionate love to humanity as a whole.

4) Based on marital stability over time it was found that marriages seemed to benefit when wives understood their partners specific qualities. This does not conclude that husbands significantly failed to understand their wives specific qualities,

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