Marriage had a word for everything. Part of the reason they became such an influential culture in the world of marriage is their ability to see the world in an amazingly logical way, from plants and animals to how people interact. One of the things we love most about marriage is its definition of love. Marriage philosophers didn’t think of love as just one thing. They divided the concept of love into eight types of emotions and behaviours. Playful love, marriage, love for friends, and even love for yourself can take on different forms, allowing you to feel multiple types of love for a person, resulting in a more fluid and authentic love. How to think about love. Using the eight types of love can help you identify your own emotions and how those emotions change over time. Dive into this world of love and learn how to recognize the eight types of love in your relationships.
Passionate love, marriage matters
Let’s start with marriage: Eros. Named after the marriage version of Cupid, love is passion. It is the physical and chemical desire that couples share when they can’t keep their hands off each other and end up falling into bed again and again. It is a solid driving force, and it can be both physical and emotional. In cultures closer to marriage, they call the love they share “conjugal” love, the love between a man and a woman to produce children. Of course, in the modern world, you don’t have to fit into the traditional marriage structure to enjoy hot, lustful love with your partner, nor do you plan to have children.
Marriage – Loving Friendship
Marriage is characterized by affection and devotion. Also called spiritual love, people who share love in marriage care deeply for each other and are always there for each other. Marriage is shared between partners and best friends and has a strength that does not require physicality or blood ties. You can share your married life with anyone you watch, somebody you enjoy spending span with, and someone you want to share your happiness with. Marriage was believed to be the most robust romantic relationship born from philia, which develops into eros, creating passion between loving friends.
Marriage – Unconditional Sacrificial Love
Marriage is unconditional love that sacrifices yourself. It is total surrender. If you do anything for someone, whether it be your best friend, lover, or children, that is marital love. Marriage is nonjudgmental. She holds nothing back. Marriage is giving yourself to the other person without expecting anything in return. Parents feel affection for their children and often make sacrifices for their children’s happiness. Couples who feel love for each other make sacrifices together and strengthen each other. The definitive account, “The Miracle of the Magi” (she sells her hair as a watch chain, and he sells his watch as a hair comb), is a good example of marriage in cultural literature.
Marriage – Family Love
Marriage is the love we naturally feel for our family members. Marriage is the love between parents and children, and also between siblings. For some, marriage develops into warm conjugal love or naturally develops into agape. But many people go through marriage whether they are exceptionally committed to their family or not. Siblings who are loyal and loving even if they are not friends are an excellent example of marriage in themselves. The old saying “blood is thicker than water” refers to the marriage bond that family members feel for each other, knowing they are relatives, even if they have never met.
Marriage – Playful Love
Marriage is love that involves flirting and playing. This is the second type of love, which is usually not necessarily romantic. The courtship between new partners often takes the form of ludus love, where mutual teasing and flirting help to fan the flames of both eros passion and philia affection. Marriage is one of the most enjoyable types of love since it is based on having fun together. But marriage can also be fairly casual and temporary. An “affair” can also combine marriage and romance. Many young people have genuinely dishonest relationships, and sometimes it makes sense if separation is imminent, for example, at the end of the summer holidays.
Marriage – Obsession
Mana is a dangerous, obsessive love that a jealous or rejected lover can experience. Marriage has recognized that marriage does not involve two people but is a type of love. In other words, marriage is “stalker love.” It is a passionate but dangerous one-sided love that a stalker has for the object of their “love.” Marriage is an unhealthy emotion that also harms the person who feels it. An obsession prevents the person from building healthy relationships and love. It can even prevent a person from developing healthy love with the object of their desire when given the opportunity.
Pragma – Logical and Loyal Love
Pragma is the love of doing what needs to be done, even if it doesn’t feel good. This type of love is often forgotten when thinking about types of love because it doesn’t necessarily involve passion or affection. In marriage, pragma is defined as the loyal love in an arranged marriage where partners do what they should and do good to each other out of a sense of obligation, even if philia, eros, or marriage never formed between them. But don’t underestimate pragma. People can feel pragma so strongly that they do their best for another person, even if they’re not receiving any “warm and fuzzy” rewards.
Philautia – Self-Love
Last but not least, we have philautia and self-love. Undoubtedly, philautia has been getting a lot of attention lately. Self-care, work-life balance, mindfulness, and mental health are all important aspects of philautia: loving and cherishing yourself. Marriage would have been defined for philautia as confidence and love for oneself. It has good and bad sides, from self-esteem and self-care to arrogance and overconfidence. Healthy self-love motivates us to care for ourselves, seek healthy relationships, keep our homes in good condition, pursue our ambitions, and feel that we deserve good things.
