Triangular Theory of Love

Robert Sternberg had his own theory on love. He developed his triangular theory of love that consists of three dimensions; passion, intimacy, and commitment. First is passion. Passion is a powerful and sometimes uncontrollable emotion. It is an intense pining to become one with another. To have passion with another you experience fire, excitement, arousal, affection, sexual love, and strong felt emotion. Passion is one of the key factors in a romantic love, when passion is the only thing present you have what is called an infatuation and that is all it will ever be. The second dimension of Robert Sternberg’s triangular theory of love is intimacy. Intimacy is a method of which two people try to get close to one another. They try and find similarities as well as differences in the way they feel, behave, and think. It is also considered to be a level of closeness; every relationship has its own level of intimacy. People have a longing desire to belong and to be loved which is usually accommodated with an intimate relationship. It seems as though when it comes to intimacy it’s the woman that better at this process because woman or more capable of opening up. Women genuinely reveal their own feelings, they readily assume the others perspective, and are very accepting of others feelings. Intimacy is another main key in a love relationship. It strengthens in a love relationship the more and more the two people get to know each other. When one person expresses feelings about something the other person feels as if it is okay for them to do the same. This process repeats itself, walls are brought down, insecurities are forgotten, and trust is forming. The partners are feeling accepted and the intimacy levels grow deeper and deeper in time. Finally the last dimension of Robert Sternberg’s triangular theory of love is commitment. Commitment is the intentions on maintaining a relationship. There are three types of commitment; personal commitment, moral commitment, and