The 7 Types of Love by Sternberg
Here you can find the seven types of love by Sternberg:
Liking
This type of love is intimacy without passion and commitment. It includes friendships and acquaintances.
Romantic love
It has passion and intimacy but doesn't have commitment.
Infatuation
It's passion without intimacy and commitment. This love is the "puppy love", which can develop by time and become romantic love including intimacy. Without developing intimacy or commitment infatuation can vanish.
Fatuous love
This love includes passion and commitment but no intimacy. Fatuous love can be in whirlwind courtship and marriage.
Empty love
This type contains only commitment. There is no intimacy or passion. Empty love can be in arranged marriages but by time it can develop into another type of love.
Companionate
This love contains intimacy and commitment but doesn't have passion. Companionate is observed in long-term marriages where the couples have commitment and intimacy but don't experience passion any longer. This love is also shared between family members and between close friends.
Consummate love
his is the ideal relationship between partners. Consummate love has all the three components: intimacy, passion and commitment. Sternberg noted that maintaining this type of love can be harder than achieving it. So, it's important to work on the three components to express love in action as well. This ideal relationship can be found over long periods of time or in movies.
