Sternberg levels his dimensions of love with three major categories: intimacy, commitment and passion. Intimacy is a feeling of closeness that is mutually developed by individuals who share their innermost thoughts and feelings, commitment is when a person makes a decision to love and maintain a relationship that develops and passion is the emotional arousal that leads to romance, sexual interaction and physical attraction between two individuals ( Barry, 2009). It includes a sense of devotion to the relationship and a willingness to work on maintaining it. By putting together different combinations of the three ingredients, Sternberg’s model describes several varieties of love and the specific components of romantic and companionate love discussed.(p 250)
Romantic Love is intimacy + Passion. Sternberg’s model does not include commitment in this model. He argues that commitment is not a defining feature of romantic love. Companionate love which is described as intimacy + commitment with this combination the youthful passion fades in a companionate love based on affectionate friendship and provides a solid foundation for a lasting relationship. Fatuous Love is passion + commitment and infatuated love which is passion only. Fatuous love combines high passion and commitment with an absence of intimacy. This type of love relationship is not likely to last. Infatuated love based only on passion and are won’t last, either. Infatuated love has no intension of commitment. Infatuated love also describes adoration or sex related feeling that some people have for their favorite actor or actress. Empty love is based on a relationship that has no passion or intimacy and just has the commitment to stay together. These people stay together for some reasons of convenience or to keep up appearances or as a sense of duty. They stay together for the children. Intimacy+ passion +commitment is consummate love. This is marked by the passion, high intimacy and commitment....