Love Attitudes Scale Archives

Agape

Love Attitudes Scale / 4 minutes of reading

The word “agape” comes from the Ancient Greek term “ἀγάπη,” which refers to selfless love. Psychologist John Alan Lee defined agape as a kind of love where the lover gives without expecting anything in return, viewing it as their responsibility. This love is typically associated with older, emotionally mature individuals who prioritize logic and intention over emotion and attraction. Agape is a blend of both Storge and Eros. People who practice Agapic love see their significant others as precious gifts and strive to care for them. They find more joy in giving than receiving in a relationship, and remain loyal to their partners to avoid causing them any hurt. To embody Agapic love, one must possess qualities like forgiveness, patience, understanding, loyalty, and the willingness to make sacrifices for their partner. While Agapic lovers believe in unconditional love, they may neglect their own needs, leading to potential drawbacks. Although Agapic love comes with the benefit of generosity, it can also cause feelings of guilt or inadequacy in a partner, and may even lead to being taken advantage of.

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Mania

Love Attitudes Scale / emotion, Emotions, love, love attitudes, positive emotions, Psychological assessment, Social Psychology / 4 minutes of reading

Mania is derived from the Ancient Greek term μανία, meaning “mental disorder”, from which the term “manic” is derived. Lee defines Manic love as flowing out of a desire to hold one’s partner in high esteem and wanting to love and be loved in this way, seeing specialness in the interaction. This type of love tends to lead a partner into a type of madness and obsessiveness. Manic lovers speak of their partners with possessives and superlatives, and they feel that they “need” their partners. Oftentimes, manic individuals are attracted to individuals who have low self-esteem and a weak self-concept. This kind of love is expressed as a means of rescue, or reinforcement of value. Manic lovers value finding a partner through chance without prior knowledge of their financial status, education, background, or personality traits. Insufficient expression of Manic love by one’s partner can cause one to perceive the partner as aloof, materialistic, and detached. In excess, mania becomes obsession or codependency, and obsessed manic lovers can thus come across as being very possessive and jealous.

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Pragma

Love Attitudes Scale / emotion, Emotions, love attitudes, positive emotions, Psychological assessment, Social Psychology / 4 minutes of reading

Pragma comes from the Ancient Greek term πρᾶγμα, meaning ‘businesslike‘, from which terms like pragmatic are derived. Pragma is the most practical type of love, not necessarily derived from true romantic love. Instead, pragma is a convenient type of love. Pragmatic lovers have a notion of being of service, which they perceive to be rational and realistic. While they may be sincere about being useful themselves, it also translates to having expectations of a partner and of the relationship. They tend to select and reject partners based on what they perceive as desirable, compatible traits.

Pragmatic lovers want to find value in their partners and ultimately want to work with their partners to reach a common goal. The practicality and realism of practical love often contribute to the relationship’s longevity as long as common goals and values remain shared. The emphasis within pragmatic relationships is on earning, affordability, child care, and home service. The attitude of a pragmatic relationship can become disdainful and toxic if one partner sees the other as a burden.

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Ludus

Love Attitudes Scale / emotion, Emotions, love, love attitudes, Psychological assessment, Social Psychology / 5 minutes of reading

Ludus means “game” or “school” in Latin. The term is often used to describe those who see love as a desire to have fun, do indoor and outdoor activities, tease, indulge, and play harmless pranks on each other. The acquisition of love and attention itself may be part of the game.

Ludic lovers want to have as much fun as possible. When they are not seeking a stable relationship, they rarely or never become overly involved with one partner and often can have more than one partner at a time; in other words, a school of partners. They do not reveal their true thoughts and feelings to their partner(s).

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Storge

Love Attitudes Scale / 4 minutes of reading

Storge (stor-gay; from Ancient Greek στοργή (storgḗ) ‘love, affection’), or familial love, refers to natural or instinctual affection, such as the love of a parent towards offspring and vice versa. Storge is a wide-ranging force which can apply between family members, friends, pets and their owners, companions or colleagues; it can also blend with and help underpin other types of ties, such as passionate love or friendship. Thus “storge” may function as a general term to characterize the love between exceptional friends and their desire to care compassionately for one another.

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Eros

Love Attitudes Scale / emotion, love, love attitudes, positive emotions, Psychological assessment / 5 minutes of reading

Eros is sexual or passionate love, and most akin to the modern construct of romantic love. In Greek myth, it is a form of madness brought about by one of Cupid’s arrows. The arrow breaches us and we “fall” in love, as did Paris with Helen, leading to the downfall of Troy and much of the assembled Greek army.

In modern times, eros has been amalgamated with the broader life force, something akin to Schopenhauer’s will, a fundamentally blind process of striving for survival and reproduction. Eros has also been contrasted with Logos, or Reason, and Cupid painted as a blindfolded child.

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Agape

Storge

Eros

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