Love isn’t simple, and we may all know that on some level. However, if I told you that there were 7 types of love, what would you say to that?
Back in the 1980s, a psychologist named Robert Sternberg actually came up with a theory of love that broke things down into three components and thus bringing forth seven different kinds of love. Basically, the three components he found to make up love in all its different ways were decision/commitment, passion, and intimacy. Some forms hold all and others are lacking in different areas.
His theory is referred to as the triangle theory of love and is one many people go by. That being said, his seven types of love are not the only types of love to exist. Many other prominent figures have added to this and broken things down in their own ways throughout the years. For instance, one cannot deny the existence of self-love or the love or other things of the sort.
Below I am going to go over the seven kinds of love that Steinberg has gone over throughout the years and then a few of the others that philosophers and so forth also tend to mention when it comes to breaking things down. How many of these have you experienced?
Robert Steinberg’s 7 Types Of Love:
Type 1: Liking
This is the kind of ‘love’ that you have when you really like someone. You feel a warmth when you’re with them, but you don’t really know them all that well. This is not the kind of love that comes with passion, and it doesn’t often even lead to something more.
Type 2: Infatuated Love
This is the kind of love that is more of an intense crush at first. You feel drawn to someone and very obsessed with their existence. You are very infatuated with them but sometimes only from a distance. Once you get closer to this person things might dwindle and the flames of interest might burn out.
Type 3: Empty Love
This kind of love is exactly what you might think it sounds like. You are committed to this person but you don’t have the intimacy or passion you once had. You stick together out of routine and comfort rather than infatuation. The spark is just not there anymore.
Type 4: Romantic Love
This kind of love is very passionate and full of lust. You are intimate on a level that tops everything else and are always trying to be with one another. You are very much obsessed in this sense. Your bond is one that comes through on the more physical side.
Type 5: Compassionate Love
This kind of love is something you tend to find in married couples. You are both very much committed to one another but also not necessarily passionate anymore. You are together and in love, but you don’t crave one another anymore.
Type 6: Fatuous Love
This is a very passionate kind of love. It is really throwing yourselves into things without allowing room for that intimacy to build. You might be very much committed to one another, but you are not friends on the same level most other couples would be.
Type 7: Consummate Love
This kind of love is basically the most complete form. It is the kind of love that has a good balance of all three things. That being said this kind of love tends to fizzle out over time and turn into compassionate love.
3 Other Types Of Love Worth Mentioning:
Type 8: Self-Love
Self-love is the love you feel for yourself. It is something that a lot of people tend to lack and really holds them back. This is your ability to support yourself and care about what you think and the way you feel. The love you feel for yourself is a big deal.
Type 9: Painful Love
This is the kind of love that comes with a quick burning fire of passion but turns into something toxic. While the two of you might have been on the same page, in the beginning, something changed and now things are different. This I feel is what happens when one person is in love with the other in a different way. Both parts are not on the same page.
Type 10: Friend Love
This is the non-romantic love you might feel for a friend or family member. It is similar to compassionate love but not quite the same. You care about one another and are always there for each other without being on the same level as a ‘couple.’