Love, Types of

Usually, people fall in love with those with whom they claim to be attracted. However, there are many ways to look at love, to define it, and to experience it. For certain, love is a multifaceted construct that imbues personal experiences. It is an individualistic experience, but it takes shape only through the behavioral dynamics between persons. Types of love include not only the ways in which lovers can explain the phenomenon of love, but also the ways in which the sciences can explain what happens when people claim to be in love. This entry provides a description of types of love from both perspectives.

At its core, the experience of love is relational; it moves a person toward intimacy with another. At a personal level, ...