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Eros is one of the six love attitudes measured by the Love Attitudes Scale.
The other measured love attitudes are Ludus, Storge, Pragma, Mania and Agape.
Eros is passion, lust, sexual attraction, and everything we think of when we think of the television version of love. Unsurprisingly, this type of love was named after the Greek god of love and fertility.
To the ancient Greeks, this physical, desirous love was quite dangerous. As you can probably imagine, the human impulse to procreate is powerful, and eros is the sort of love that is easy to lose control of.
What is Eros?
Eros is sexual or passionate love and is 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 contemporary society, eros has become intertwined with the overarching life force, similar to Schopenhauer’s will – an inherently unconscious impulse for survival and procreation. Eros is distinguished from Logos or Reason, and Cupid is often depicted as a sightless child wearing a blindfold.
As Venus within Eros does not really aim at pleasure, so Eros does not aim at happiness. We may think he does, but when he is brought to the test it proves otherwise... For it is the very mark of Eros that when he is in us we had rather share unhappiness with the Beloved than be happy on any other terms.
Mania recognizable traits
A person with a high level of Eros attitude towards love:
- Feels strong physical and emotional connection through the relationship.
- Begins with a partner who is a stranger and evokes immediate excitement.
- May be exclusive but not possessive.
- Seeks early sexual adventure, variety and technique.
- Is ready for love and its risks.
The Role of Eros in Relationships
Because Eros is solely a physical love, it isn’t necessarily something you want to build a relationship upon (on its own). Eros is intense and sexual and —you guessed it— fleeting.
A relationship built on Eros should also rely on other forms of love to create a firm, whole foundation.
Nonetheless, Eros still represents the love for sexual intimacy and romance.
Eros cultural examples
In today’s society, the physical attraction between individuals is often depicted as the embodiment of passionate and romantic love, as celebrated in popular books and movies.
Examples of Eros may be seen in movies including The Blue Lagoon, Return to the Blue Lagoon, Pretty Woman, Working Girl, and Girl with a Pearl Earring.
The concept of Eros in Freudian psychology
According to Freudian psychology, eros is not merely the sexual drive but our life force – the desire to live and create. It promotes productivity and construction. In the past, instincts from eros were seen as opposing forces to those of the ego, but nowadays, eros is pitted against the destructive death instinct of Thanatos (death drive).
In his 1925 paper titled “The Resistances to Psycho-Analysis“, Freud clarifies that the psychoanalytic concept of sexual energy aligns more with the Platonic view of eros as expressed in the Symposium, rather than the common interpretation of “sex” as related solely to genital activity. Freud also acknowledges the philosopher Schopenhauer’s influence on his work. He then addresses his critics for disregarding these prominent predecessors’ insights and unfairly associating his theory of eros with a pansexual inclination. Finally, Freud posits that his theory naturally accounts for this collective misunderstanding as a predictable resistance to acknowledging childhood sexual activity.
Exploring Eros in Jungian Psychology
According to Carl Jung’s analytical psychology, the masculine principle of rationality is represented by logos, which is the counterpart to eros, a feminine principle. Jung believes that a woman’s psychology is built on the concept of Eros, which binds and releases emotions, while the ruling principle for men is Logos. In modern terms, Eros could be defined as psychic relatedness, while Logos is objective interest. Jung’s gendering of eros and logos is a result of his theory of the anima/animus syzygy of the human psyche. The syzygy is the disconnection between males and females. Jung explains that this disconnection is mirrored in the unconscious mind through “contrasexual” elements such as the anima (in men) and the animus (in women), which are opposite-gendered elements. Men possess an unconscious feminine principle, which is the “anima,” characterized by feminine eros. The process of individuation for men includes becoming aware of the anima and understanding it.
Eros Book Recommendations
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Your Thoughts about Eros
It’s highly recommended that you jot down any ideas or reflections that come to mind regarding Eros, including related behaviours, emotions, situations, or other associations you may make. This way, you can refer back to them on your Dashboard or Reflect pop-ups, compare them with your current behaviours, and make any necessary adjustments to keep evolving. Learn more about this feature and how it can benefit you.
References
- Freud, S. (1925). “The Resistances to Psycho-Analysis”, in The Collected Papers of Sigmund Freud, Vol. 5, p.163-74. (Tr. James Strachey.)
- Cornford, F.M. (1950), “The Doctrine of Eros in Plato’s Symposium”, in The Unwritten Philosophy.
- Carl Jung, “Woman in Europe” (1927), in Collected Works vol. 10, paragraph 255; reprinted in Aspects of the Feminine, Princeton University Press, 1982, p. 65, ISBN 0-7100-9522-8.
- For a critical perspective on this viewpoint, which also summarizes the Jungian position well, see James Hillman, The Dream and The Underworld (1979), p.100.
- Robert H. Hopcke, A Guided Tour of the Collected Works of C.G. Jung, Shambhala Books, 1999, p.45.
