Passionate and companionate love
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In psychology, a distinction is often made between two types of love:
- Passionate love, also called infatuation, is "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", and "the overwhelming, amorous feeling for one individual that is typically most intense during the early stage of love (i.e., when individuals are not (yet) in a relationship with their beloved or are in a new relationship)".
- Companionate love, also called attachment, is "the affection we feel for those with whom our lives are deeply entwined", and "the comforting feeling of emotional bonding with another individual that takes some time to develop, often in the context of a romantic relationship".
Evolutionary theories suggest these two types of love exist for different purposes, and research from psychology and biology suggests they follow somewhat different mechanics. Both passionate and companionate love can contribute to relationship satisfaction. Passionate and companionate love can also be further distinguished from a third important type of love, compassionate love, which is love focused on caring about others.
Passionate love is also commonly called "romantic love" in some literature, especially fields of biology, but the term "passionate love" is most common in psychology. Academic literature on love has never adopted a universal terminology. Other terms compared to passionate love are "being in love", having a crush, obsessive love, limerence and eros.
Companionate love is commonly called "attachment" or compared to strong liking, friendship love or storge. This is usually considered the same as the "attachment system" from attachment theory, but not all authors agree.