A triangular theory of love
In this article, Sternberg proposes that love can be conceptualised as consisting of
three primary components: passion, intimacy and commitment. These can be conceptualised as
a 'love triangle' with the three components forming the vertices.
| Passion |
'the drives that lead to romance, physical attraction, sexual consummation, and related
phenomena' (p. 119) |
| Intimacy |
'feelings of closeness, connectedness, and bondedness in loving relationships' (p.
119) |
| Commitment |
'the decision that one loves someone else and … the commitment to maintain that love'
(p. 119) |
These components may be combined to characterise eight kinds of love.
| Kind of love |
Passion |
Intimacy |
Commitment |
| Nonlove |
- |
- |
- |
| Liking |
- |
X |
- |
| Infatuation |
X |
- |
- |
| Empty love |
- |
- |
X |
| Romantic love |
X |
X |
- |
| Companionate love |
- |
X |
X |
| Fatuous love |
X |
- |
X |
| Consumate love |
X |
X |
X |
Sternberg notes that the relative emphasis of each component changes over time as an
adult romantic relationship develops.
| Passion |
Passionate arousal tends to occur at the beginning of relationships, peaks relatively
quickly and then reduces to a stable level as a result of habituation. Following
relationship termination, an individuals capacity for passion appears to go negative for a
period of time, as the individual overcomes feelings of loss. |
| Intimacy |
Intimacy tends to peak slower than passion and then gradually reduces to a relatively
low level of manifest intimacy as interpersonal bonding increases. Changes in
circumstances, however, tend to activate latent intimacy, which can cause the manifest
level of intimacy to return or exceed its earlier peak. |
| Commitment |
In successful relationships, the level of commitment rises relatively slowly at first,
speeds up, and then gradually levels off. Where relationships fail, the level of commitment
usually decreases gradually and descends back towards the
baseline. |
Sternberg goes on to compare his theory with existing research and to consider a how
partners love triangles could be compared, that an individual may have both ideal and real
triangles, self and other triangles and interactions between all these.
This model of love is primarily of interest here as it was used by Levy and Davis
(1988) when investigating adult romantic attachments.
We'd like to thank www.Dating-Relationships.co.uk for permission to reproduce some of their copy on this page.