Triangular Theory of Love

I remember last year when I first learned of this theory I thought it was pretty interesting, in fact we didn’t have enough time in class to go over the chapter on love and relationships so I read it of my own accord. This year I learnt about it again, so I thought I’d share the theory for all to understand.

The Triangular Theory of Love proposes that there are three basic components to love: intimacy, commitment and passion and that these three components can be combined to form 8 different types of love or nonlove. The amount of love that you feel is understood by how strong the components are in your relationship.

Intimacy – Emotional component, liking, feelings of closeness and connectedness
Passion – Drives that trigger attraction, sexual desire and romance
Commitment – Cognitive component, decisions to make a long-term commitment to each other, making plans with each other for the future



If you want to read up on the description of the types of love, check the Wikipedia page for the triangular theory of love.