Passionate and companionate love
Two types of love in romantic relationships / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Passionate love" redirects here. For the South Korean TV series, see Passionate Love.
In the psychological literature, a distinction is often made between two types of love.[1] Hatfield and Walster define:[1]
- passionate love as "a state of intense longing for union with another. Reciprocated love (union with the other) is associated with fulfillment and ecstasy; unrequited love (separation) is associated with emptiness, anxiety, or despair"[1]
- companionate love as "the affection we feel for those with whom our lives are deeply entwined."[1]
Companionate love is felt less intensely and often follows after passionate love in a relationship.[2][3]
Passionate love is also called romantic love in some literature,[1][4][5][2][6] and is sometimes called being "in love"[4] or compared to infatuation[1][7] and limerence.[1][3] Companionate love is compared to strong liking or friendship love,[4] or sometimes the attachment referred to by attachment theory.[6]
Both passionate and companionate love contribute to relationship satisfaction.[4]