wrap up

Wrap up...

Class,Teacher

Welcome to week 5! You have now conquered obedience and conformity! What did you learn? Anything new? Any lingering questions?

Hello Class,

The three components in Sternberg's triangular theory of love are intimacy, passion, and decision/commitment. According to Sternberg (1997), all of these components are present in romantic relationships however, they vary in intensity and volume depending on the type of relationship. For instance, Sternberg postulates that it is possible for a person to decide to love someone without being committed to them or they can commit to a relationship with a person without acknowledging that they love the other person in that relationship (Sternberg, 1997).

Sternberg (1997) further states that there are different types of love depending on the levels of each component in the triangle. According to him, a relationship can be high in one or two of the three components and low in the second and/or third, or it can be high in all three. However, the latter is unlikely because this is considered to be the "consummate love" which is something we think of as more like a fairy tale. The other types of love are as follows:

Nonlove - low in all three components

Liking - high in intimacy, low in passion and decision/commitment

Infatuated love - low in intimacy, high in passion, low in decision/commitment

Empty love - low in intimacy and passion, high is decision/commitment

Romantic love - high in intimacy and passion, low in decision/commitment

Companionate love - high in intimacy, low in passion, high in decision/commitment

Fatuous love - low in intimacy, high in passion and decision/commitment

Consummate love - high in all three components

Blessed,

Amber Cochrane