M5: Dynamics of Love, Attraction, and Commitment

• Components of Love according to Sternberg

  • Passion: Intense, physical attraction
  • Intimacy: Ability to share feelings, personal thoughts, and psychological closeness
  • Commitment: Conscious decision to stay together
• Theory of Love according to Robert Sternberg

  • Intimacy: Feelings of attachment, closeness, typified by sharing secrets, etc.
  • Passion: Feelings of sexual and romantic attraction
  • Commitment: A willingness in the short-term to create and maintain a relationship and long-term plans to sustain the relationship
• Passion can be found in the early stages of a relationship, but intimacy takes time to develop because it is based on knowledge of the partner. Once intimacy has been established, partners may resolve to stay in the relationship
• Personal Relationship


  Close connections between people, formed by emotional bonds and interactions
• Albert Einstein: 'You cannot blame gravity for falling in love'
• Importance of Personal Relationships

  • Live longer
  • Deal with stress
  • Be healthier
  • Feel richer
• Types of Love according to Lee

  • Pragma: Emphasizes practical aspects of love
  • Mania: Characterized by volatility, insecurity, and possessiveness
  • Agape: Altruistic, selfless love
  • Eros: Erotic love
• Poor social support has been linked to depression and loneliness and has been shown to alter brain function and increase the risk of (a) Alcohol use (b) Cardiovascular disease (c) Depression (d) Decrease immune function (e) Suicide
• References

  • Libed Glenda, Borres Jerwin (2018). Personal Development C and E. Publishing, Inc.
  • Llaneza-Ramos, Ma. Lourdes (2017). Personality Development. C and E. Publishing, Inc.
  • Wong-Fernandez, Barbara et al. (2016) Personality Development Reader. Sunshine Interlinks Publishing house, Inc.
• Storge love


  Love that develops slowly over time, often starting as a friendship and becoming sexual later, likely to remain friends even after breakup
• Rubric criteria

  • Organization
  • Level of Content
  • Development
  • Grammar, Usage, Mechanics & Spelling
• Eros love


  Erotic style of loving where physical chemistry and emotional involvement are important
• Essay questions about love to be answered in the Journal
• Essay questions about love

  • Why do people fall in love? Explain in biological, psychological, and philosophical perspective
  • Why do people fall out of love?
  • Why do people cheat?
• Agape love

  Altruistic, selfless love where partners give without expecting anything in return, placing partner's happiness above their own
• Rubrics for evaluating essay answers
• Lasallian Core Values

  • Nurturing Potentials
  • Share experiences on journal about 10 acts of kindness
  • Post-Task: Write reflection in discussion
  • Reflection
• Ludus love


  Style of loving that emphasizes the game of seduction and fun, stays away from commitment, may have several love interests, does not self-disclose easily
• Difficulty sleeping when in love and feeling emotions intensely
• Color Wheel Model of Love

  • Eros: Passionate or erotic love
  • Ludos: Playful and fun love
  • Storge: Familial love between parents and children
• Triangular theory of love components

  • Intimacy: Feelings of attachment, closeness
  • Passion: Feelings of sexual and romantic attraction
  • Commitment: Willingness to create and maintain a relationship
• Types of love in the Triangular theory

  • Non-love
  • Liking/friendship
  • Infatuated love
  • Empty love
  • Romantic love
  • Companionate love
  • Fatuous love
  • Consummate love
• Family


  Two or more persons related by birth, marriage, or adoption, living together as one household
• Romantic Partnership

  Close relationships formed between two people built upon affection, trust, intimacy, and romantic love, usually experienced with only one person at a time
• Friendship


  A close tie between two people built upon mutual experiences, shared interests, proximity, and emotional bonding
• Personal relationships


  Close connections between people, formed by emotional bonds and interactions, often strengthened by mutual experiences
• Theory of Love

  Triangular theory of love according to Robert Sternberg
• Health consequences of low social support

  • Depression
  • Decreased immune function
  • Higher blood pressure
• Most common relationship problems

  • Infidelity
  • Sexual issues
  • Traumatic changes
  • Boredom
  • Addiction
  • Pregnancy
• Three primary styles of love according to Lee

  • Mania (Eros + Ludos): Obsessive love
  • Pragma (Ludos + Storge): Realistic and practical love
  • Agape (Eros + Storge): Selfless love
• Importance of personal relationships

  • Live longer
  • Deal with stress
  • Be healthier
  • Feel richer
• Objectives of the module

  1. Discuss an understanding of teen-age relationships, including the acceptable and unacceptable expressions of attractions

  2. Express ways of showing attraction, love, and commitment

  3. Identify ways to become responsible in a relationship