Did you know that there is not only one type of love in life? No, we are not talking about the simple differences that exist between different relationships, totally physiological, but about true types of different loves. In fact, in this Psychology-Online article we are going to discover what the different types of love according to psychology.
Do you want to know what they are? Pay attention to this list that we offer you with the classification of the main 12 typologies of love in society, among which you will find platonic love, infatuation, empty love, fatuous, immature, romantic, reciprocal or friendly. Here we go!
Platonic love
He is the feeling without eros, or rather, the feeling that has overcome passion and it is directed to a higher object than physical ecstasy. The expression “platonic love” is used for the first time by Marsilio Ficino during Humanism.
This type of love refers to Plato’s philosophical theories and indicates precisely a loving feeling that has not simply been deprived of passion, but has simply reached such a degree of maturity to be able to express itself outside of the physical point of view.
Infatuation love
Infatuation is the type of more immediate love between human beings, and responds to the laws of attraction: one is literally attracted to the other like a magnet and begins a relationship exclusively on the basis of passion. Many couples who live permanently in this state also manage to stay together, perhaps by building a long-distance relationship; many others, however, do not go further.
Sympathy love
Sympathy is a type of love, according to psychology, honest and sincere to the extent that each of the two interested subjects feels involved at an intimate and confidential level. Sympathetic love is a trusting love, complicit on an intellectual level and with mutual interests, but the passionate component is missing, which in the long run will lead the couple to a single reflection: are we friends or are we a couple?
empty love
Do you know that feeling of family unity that you feel with the person who has always been part of your life but for whom you no longer feel that burning passion that made you sigh every day? This is an empty love: empty in the sense that lacks passionan essential element.
But empty love is one of the types of love in society that can also work the other way around because it is not always based on a great passion that transforms, but it can also be a relationship that over time acquires fire and great intimacy.
fatuous love
In this type of love there is infatuation and attraction is felt. Later this feeling matures and the couple decides to spend their lives together getting married or living together. They may also choose to have children, who will undoubtedly grow up serene and happy. But is the couple who lives a fatuous love really a happy couple? In 80% of cases no, because the friendship component is missing that really makes a couple complicit.
immature love
It’s a love relationship with narcissistic aspects. The relationship is functional to satisfy personal needs and does not capture the needs of the partner. The person is not in a position to establish meaningful relationships because they focus on themselves and on the search for confirmations that reinforce their personal identity.
friendly love
It is neither love nor friendship, but a very strong, intimate and protective feeling, but lacks burning passion. Sometimes a great love can transform into this type of bond, but often they are undefined relationships that can progress throughout life parallel to the daily routine.
Romantic love
The passion, the senseless gesture, a getaway under the Eiffel tower in Paris or between the canals of Venice. The guy is capable of these gestures, but often conflicts with practicality and the ability to actually move forward in a relationship because one of the two partners is reluctant to commit.
Reciprocal love
The love relationship evolves and acquires the characteristic of reciprocity. Among all types of love in society, reciprocal love becomes an exchange where both subjects have something to offer and receive. However, the relationship remains conditioned by the idealization of the otherlooking for a relationship that can give integrity and dignity.
Individuals are no longer focused on themselves, but rather open to others and their needs, although in an instrumental way. The relationship with the partner and attention to their needs is functional to the satisfaction of individual needs.
The erotic relationship is fueled by the feeling of being well together here and now, without any design opening. What attracts others is not only their physical, external appearance, but also their psychological and personality characteristics.
project love
It represents the last phase of the maturation process of the love relationship and manifests itself with the characteristics of mature love. This involves the entire person (physical, mental and spiritual aspect). Furthermore, this type of love is based on a deep relationship in which sexuality and tenderness, affection and intelligence, concern and responsibility are found.
Mature love respects individual differences in the communion of feelings, while falling in love is the childish pretension of reciprocal fusion. To learn more about these two concepts, read our article.
Perfect love
Perfect love is one that contains intimacy, passion and commitment in due measure: there is passion, there is friendship, there is play, intimacy, commitment and practicality. Probably a rare type of love to find, but it exists, and when it exists you only feel the urgent need to cultivate it because it fills your life.
A rare type of love to find but, as psychologist Sternberg maintained, even rarer. difficult to maintain that through daily care and nutrition as we would with the most valuable plant we have.
Family love
The people we are related to or spend a lot of time with tend to be pretty close. If they are as close as your family, you might feel familial love for them. this kind of love He is very strong and protective. You don’t experience romantic feelings for these people, but you feel a type of connection that is different from people who are just “friends.”
family love It’s very relaxed and comfortable.; You can be more open with someone for whom you feel familial love because there is also a deep amount of trust. Family love can be frustrating at times because you can feel family love but have bad experiences with that person, which can make you conflictive.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- Carubia, A. (2019). How many tipi di amore is this? Recovered from: https://dilei.it/psicologia/quanti-tipi-di-amore-esistono/656044/
- Pati, L. (2000). Childhood love and family educational communication. Milan: Vita e Pensiero.