Sternberg’s Triangular Theory of Love: A Psychological Theory of Love
Essentially what his model says about love is that a relationship forms on the basis of three components-intimacy, passion or commitment.
Intimacy encompasses feelings of closeness, connectedness, and bondedness
Passion encompasses drives that lead to romance, physical attraction, and sexual consummation.
Commitment encompasses a decision to remain with another, and in the long term, the shared achievement and plans made with that other.
Without any of the three, no relationship exists. The most important element of the theory is the idea that depending on the combinations between intimacy, passion, or commitment, a different form of relationship emerges. So for instance, intimacy without passion or commitment produces liking. Intimacy and commitment without passion produces companionate love. And so on..
In regards to consummate love, characterized by having all three components: Intimacy, passion, and commitment, it is ideal.
Personally, I think his model puts a good label on the different types of love and highlights well what makes love perfect. Whether it captures all facet of love, I don’t yet have an opinion on that.
