A Biased Overview of the Study of Love

The field of relationship research is currently witnessing an explosion of interest in romantic love. Several theories have been proposed to explain various features of love. This article summarizes some of these and argues that they can be integrated within an attachment-theoretical framework. In the course of the argument, love is conceptualized in terms of emotion theory and as a complex of behavioral systems, involving attachment, caregiving and sex. Although a great deal of research remains to be done, the attachment-theoretical approach to love already offers several advantages over rival approaches.

[1]  Keith E. Davis,et al.  Friendship and love relationships. , 1982 .

[2]  Discriminant measures for desperate love. , 1985, Journal of personality assessment.

[3]  J. Bowlby.  The making & breaking of affectional bonds , 1979 .

[4]  J. Shea,et al.  Correlates of romantic attachment: A path analysis study , 1984, Journal of youth and adolescence.

[5]  D. Dutton,et al.  Some evidence for heightened sexual attraction under conditions of high anxiety. , 1974, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[6]  Dorothy Tennov,et al.  Love and Limerence: The Experience of Being in Love , 1979 .

[7]  Elaine Hatfield,et al.  EPILOGUE – The Dangers of Intimacy , 1984 .

[8]  Max Eastman.  Enjoyment of living , 1948 .

[9]  Sanford Bell.  A Preliminary Study of the Emotion of Love between the Sexes , 1902 .

[10]  C. Hazan,et al.  Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. , 1987, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[11]  Z. Rubin.  Liking and Loving: An Invitation to Social Psychology , 1973 .

[12]  Michael P. Johnson.  Commitment: A Conceptual Structure and Empirical Application , 1973 .

[13]  H. Goldsmith,et al.  Temperament as a potential developmental influence on attachment. , 1986, New directions for child development.

[14]  A. Aron,et al.  Love and the expansion of self: Understanding attraction and satisfaction. , 1988 .

[15]  M. Main,et al.  Responses of Abused and Disadvantaged Toddlers to Distress in Agemates: A Study in the Day Care Setting , 1985 .

[16]  E. Mathes,et al.  Reik's Complementarity Theory of Romantic Love , 1985 .

[17]  R. Sternberg,et al.  The Psychology of Love , 1988 .

[18]  Robert J. Sternberg,et al.  Liking versus loving: A comparative evaluation of theories. , 1987 .

[19]  M. Ainsworth,et al.  Origins of the Sense of Security. (Book Reviews: Patterns of Attachment. A Psychological Study of the Strange Situation) , 1978 .

[20]  I. Bretherton,et al.  Attachment theory: Retrospect and prospect. , 1985 .

[21]  J. Money,et al.  Love and love sickness : the science of sex, gender difference, and pair-bonding , 1981 .

[22]  J. Traupmann,et al.  Equity and Intimate Relations: Recent Research , 1985 .

[23]  S. Schachter.  The Interaction of Cognitive and Physiological Determinants of Emotional State , 1964 .

[24]  R. Sternberg.  A triangular theory of love. , 1986 .

[25]  J. Bowlby.  Attachment and loss: retrospect and prospect. , 1969, The American journal of orthopsychiatry.

[26]  R. Plutchik.  The emotions: Facts, theories and a new model. , 1964 .

[27]  E. Berscheid,et al.  15 – A Little Bit about Love , 1974 .

[28]  Gabrielle M. Maxwell.  Behaviour of Lovers: Measuring the Closeness of Relationships , 1985 .

[29]  Susan S. Hendrick,et al.  A theory and method of love. , 1986 .