The three components, intimacy, compassion and commitment, that are witnessed on this triangle all interact with each other. With their actions together they produce seven different kind of love experiences:

Liking/friendship: in this case is not used in a trivial sense. Sternberg says that this intimate liking characterizes true friendships, in which a person feels a bondedness, a warmth, and a closeness with another but not intense passion or long-term commitment.

Infatuated Love: is often what is felt as "love at first sight". But without the intimacy and the commitment components of love, infatuated love may disappear suddenly.

Empty Love: Sometimes, a stronger love deteriorates into empty love, in which the commitment remains, but the intimacy and passion have died. In cultures in which arranged marriages are common, relationships often begin as empty love and develop into one of the other forms with the passing of time.

Romantic Love: Romantic lovers are bonded emotionally through intimacy and physically through passionate arousal.

Companionate Love: is an intimate, non-passionate type of love that is stronger than friendship because of the element of long-term commitment. Sexual or physical desire is not an element of companionate love. This type of love is often found in marriages in which the passion has gone out of the relationship but a deep affection and commitment remain. The love ideally shared between family members is a form of companionate love, as is the love between close friends who have a platonic but strong friendship.

Fatuous Love: can be exemplified by a whirlwind courtship and marriage in which a commitment is motivated largely by passion, without the stabilizing influence of intimacy.

Consummate Love: is the complete form of love, representing an ideal relationship toward which people strive. Of the seven varieties of love, consummate love is theorized to be that love associated with the “perfect couple”. According to Sternberg, such couples will continue to have great sex fifteen years or more into the relationship, they can not imagine themselves happy over the long term with anyone else, they weather their few storms gracefully, and each delight in the relationship with one other. However, Sternberg cautions that maintaining a consummate love may be even harder than achieving it. He stresses the importance of translating the components of love into action. "Without expression," he warns, "even the greatest of loves can die" (1987, p.341). Thus, consummate love may not be permanent. If passion is lost over time, it may change into companionate love. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangular_theory_of_love

What Makes a Good Relationship:

When experiencing the effects of falling in love it most often starts with attraction. Alot of times you may find yourself daydreaming of your crush or writing his/her name down on your papers at school. Many people think this is love but it isn't. The feelings of sexual interest and attraction are always confused with love. Eventually this passion fades. If you want a relationship to last you need to grow close to your significant other. Here are some ways you can grow close to one another:

Learning to give and receive: A healthy relationship is about both people, not how much one person can get from (or give to) the other.

Revealing feelings: A supportive, caring relationship allows people to reveal detail about themselves — their likes and dislikes, dreams and worries, proud moments, disappointments, fears, and weaknesses.

Listening and supporting: When two people care, they offer support when the other person is feeling vulnerable or afraid. They don't put down or insult their partner, even when they disagree.

After sharing details about each others life eventually you will feel safe and more comfortable with one another. This will build ones relationship where there is trust, openness and support during difficult times. There are times though when this closeness fades away. You mostly find this with parents. They will experience what will call "empty love" and will just stay together because of commitment.

Relationships end becasue love is delicate. Love needs to be cared for and nutured. Relationships end souly because time is not spent with each other. School activities, work, or even college draw people apart. It is not just couple relationships that end this way but it is also friend relationships or even family relationship.

Everyone has experienced love at one time or another. The question is, what type of love. Some people express love in the form of an object or activity. They may love their car, or love playing soccer. Love can also be expressed through friendships and family memebers. Friends and family memebers are there to support you, whether it be something to celebrate or a time of mourning. Talking, laughter, crying, and memories are what family and friends do best. There love is caring and unconditional. The love that triumphants all the rest is TRUE LOVE. This love is a combination of all the others. True love makes you do things you would never do. True love makes you laugh, cry, scared, jealous, angry, mad, happy, excited and safe. Your true love is your best friend. You can tell them everything and anything. With true love you give up the most important, which is your heart. You give it to them to protect and keep safe. You trust in them to hold onto your heart. This is the hardest thing, to find someone that you can trust with your whole heart.

Love comes when you least expect it. One shouldn't go finding for love because it will find you in time. Love is and adventure that should be experienced by everyone. Love leaves a person with great memories and is a large impact on ones life. Love is a miracle.

A Story: A Cry for Help

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, and all of the others, including Love.

One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all repaired their boats and left.

Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to persevere until the last possible moment.

When the island was almost sinking, Love decided to ask for help.

Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said, "Richness, can you take me with you?" Richness answered, "No I can't..There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place for you here."

Love decided to ask Vanity, who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel, "Vanity, please help me!" "I can't help you Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity answered.

Sadness was close by so Love asked for help, "Sadness let me go with you." "Oh...Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!"

Happiness passed by Love too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her!

Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come Love, I will take you." It was an elder. Love felt so blessed and overjoyed that he even forgot to ask the elder her name.

When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Love, realizing how much he owed the elder, asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who helped me?"

"It was Time", Knowledge answered.

"Time?" asked Love. "But why did Time help me?

Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how great Love is.

I....love...the image at the top of the page, it organizes attention and suggests a sequence. Keep it up!

ShareRiff

Ian's love definition focuses more on love involving objects and ideas. He tells us that love is described and seen within movies and poems. I on the other hand talk about the different kinds of in which you feel with someone. I describe what true love is and how some people may mix that up with other types of love such as a friendship love or physical love. My definition focuses on the intimacy of love with another person rather with an object like Ian did.

The Top Eight Love Goddesses

http://ancienthistory.about.com/od/godsmyth/tp/LoveGoddesses.htm