## Sternberg's Triangular Theory of Love The triangular theory of love was developed in 1986 by **Robert Sternberg**, a psychologist. **Sternberg's triangular theory of love** is an approach that posits that love can be comprehended through the application of three components that, when combined, are seen as forming triangular vertices. In this case, the triangle is not used as a geometric model but rather as a metaphor. This theory of Sternberg affirms that seven types of love comprise varying degrees of **commitment**, **passion**, and **intimacy**. Also, Robert Sternberg's triangular theory of love proposes intimacy, commitment, and passion are the three components that can be used to understand love's nature. Sternberg was the proponent of the triangular theory of love that explains various types of love through three scales: passion, commitment, and intimacy. The three components of love, according to Sternberg, will be discussed below. - **Intimacy** denotes the feeling of bondedness, connectedness, and closeness within loving relationships. In its purview, intimacy involves the feeling that causes the experience of warmth in relationships that are embedded with love. This component remains stable for a while, and it is controllable. At times, individuals may be aware of this love while others may experience it unnoticeably. Intimacy plays a vital role in long-term and short-term relationships by causing moderate psychophysiological responses in individuals. - **Passion** is the drive that results in sexual consummation, romance, and physical attraction in love relationships. Passion entails the sources of motivation and types of arousal that result in passion's experience within a loving relationship. However, the aspects of this component are often unstable and keep on fluctuating. Also, passion plays a significant role in short-term and a limited role in long-term relationships. Passion contributes to fulfillment within the bedroom and out in a relationship. Also, it results in well-being and happiness within the relationship. Thus, it is often used to predict the success of a relationship. - **Commitment** involves implementing cognitive factors, for instance, the acknowledgment that an individual is in love and is committed to maintaining the love. This love component often remains unstable over a duration, and when individuals become aware of it may tend to fluctuate. However, this component is easier to control compared to the intimacy component. The commitment component in love assists in the sustenance of love since it is not controlled by feelings, whereby feelings tend to fade away after a while within the relationship. Thus, with or without feelings, love embedded with commitment will still prevail. ## Types of Love Robert Sternberg's triangular theory of love posits that eight types of love are based on three scales: passion, commitment, and intimacy. These eight types of love include; **non-love**, **friendship**, **infatuation**, **empty love**, **romantic love**, **companionate love**, **fatuous love**, and **consummate love**. ### Non-Love Non-love operates in casual interactions within all spheres of life and is chiefly embedded within the personal relations of individuals. The components of love have no role in this type of love because it contains none of these love components. ### Friendship Friendship works in the individuals' lives in forming relationships that may exist at different levels. This type of love is also referred to as liking. The component of love involved in friendship is intimacy, which promotes the boundedness and closeness of the parties involved in this kind of love. Also, friendship is a less stable type of love because it consists of only one love component. ### Infatuation Infatuation works in love that exists at first sight and occurs due to the presence of a passion component within a relationship. Passion leads to somatic symptoms such as elevation of hormonal secretions and increased heartbeat. ### Empty Love This type of love works in long-term relationships such as marriages whereby feelings for one another among the spouses have faded away. The component of love that exists in empty love is commitment, which plays an active role in maintaining the continuity of the relationship. ### Romantic Love Romantic love is often present within the onset of some long-term relationships before committing among the involved parties to exist in the relationship. This type of love involves the passion and intimacy components of love. These components play a role in inducing physical attraction and bondedness among the involved parties in the relationship. ### Companionate Love This kind of love operates mainly in long-term marriages whereby physical attraction has faded, and the involved components of love are commitment and intimacy. Commitment, in this case, promotes continuity of the relationship, while intimacy induces closeness among the spouses. ### Fatuous Love Fatuous love works in whirlwind courtships and Hollywood and entails two components of love: commitment and passion. Passion affects physical attraction among those involved in the relationship, and commitment promotes the relationship's progress. ### Consummate Love Consummate love often operates in parents' love towards their children, and these types of love entail all three love components. These components play a significant role in promoting closeness, physical attraction, and continuity of the relationship among the parties involved. ## Lesson Summary The triangular theory of love was developed in 1986 by **Robert Sternberg**, a psychologist. The **triangular theory of love** by Sternberg outlines that love is understood by applying three components: passion, intimacy, and commitment. Various types of love are discussed within the love theory of Sternberg. They include **non-love**, **friendship**, **infatuation**, **empty love**, **romantic**, **companionate**, **fatuous**, and **consummate love**. For example, passion affects physical attraction among those involved in the relationship, and commitment promotes the relationship's progress. The types of love with only one component are considered to be significantly less stable than the types of love based on two or more components.