Robert Sternberg’s is a simple way of conceptualizing romantic love. The Cambridge Dictionary, for instance, includes a definition that is romantic, platonic, and familial : “to like another adult very much and be romantically and sexually attracted to them, or to have strong feelings of liking a friend or person in your family”.Ĭontinue Building On It With Online Therapy The dictionary definitions will also change depending on the specific source you’re referencing. For example, the of love according to Merriam-Webster range from “a strong affection for another arising out of kinship or personal ties” to “an assurance of affection”.

The difficulty in creating an all-encompassing characterization of love is illustrated by the several different definitions that you come across in a dictionary. Below, we’re going to outline several different definitions of love and how they may apply to the relationships in your life. While it is a hard concept to define, many have come up with different descriptions that help us better understand its different expressions. Some say that love is something that you only fully understand when you experience it yourself. Because the love we feel for various people in our lives depends on context-how long we’ve known them, our specific relationship with them, etc.-it can be hard to conceptualize what love is exactly. Love can involve a mix of emotions, behaviors, and beliefs and it is often associated with strong feelings of affection and respect. Coming up with a cohesive definition of love is a task that people have labored over for centuries.

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