The word “love” is used by many people, in a number of different contexts. In a broad sense, love encompasses a broad range of positive and negative emotional states, from an overriding passion or lust, to the most sublime human pleasure, to the most base, survival-oriented motivation. Love is often used to describe romantic love (the overwhelming, unshakable kind), infatuation, and other kinds of passion. However, love is also used in a much more specific way to refer to a fundamental need for connection and security, which are not easily defined by words such as love or desire. In this way, love is a state of being that is experienced in response to a variety of different needs and motivations. In short, when love is used as a verb, it refers to a mental state that is described by the actions that a person takes.
One of the most common ways that we use the word “love” is to speak about and connect romantic love with intimacy. People who speak of their love in these terms feel very strongly about the emotions of love and the ways in which they connect these feelings with the intimacy of their relationships. This intimacy can be very deep, as in a deeply committed relationship. It can also be shallow, as in a sexual bond that develops over time. But no matter how it develops, whether it takes the form of intimacy or attachment, love always and inevitably ends up as a conscious, emotional state.
In order to experience love, you must first develop a feeling of intense, unaltered connectedness. It is important not to mistake this connection for the intensity of love. Instead, a healthy relationship includes feelings of connectedness that can be intensely positive, while at the same time belonging to a complex body of interactions. The core elements of a healthy relationship include:
A basic description of affection is that it is a strong, unshakable bond of love and affection that develops from mutual sharing and caring. This, of course, does not mean that there are not variations in this affection. Different people have varying degrees of affection. But generally, people develop these forms of affection out of one of two basic forms of love. One person develops love based on physical attracted bonding, and the other develops love based on shared caring.
One type of affection is quite common. This is “spatting”. Spatting is the opposite of love. This occurs when one person withdraws emotionally from another and replaces this withdrawn emotion with a surplus of emotions that are not necessarily positive. This can create a state of emotional upset and stress, as well as a deterioration in personal well-being.
The second most common type of love is “lust”. Lust is often described as a chemical reaction that creates a desire for someone else. However, this is just the beginning. There must be an attraction, or else this would not be termed “love” but merely “desire”. In fact, this emotion can actually lead to relationships that are abusive and destructive.