Social psychologists and scholars from many disciplines have tried to understand the meaning of love for more than a century. However, it is complex because of its multifaceted nature. This paper proposes a quadruple framework that explains the importance of love. It includes trust, respect, resonance, connection, trust, or connection. This framework can be used to describe brand love, romantic love, and parental love. We will discuss the synergistic relationship of the factors and their variations as they modulate the intensity or level of love.
Introduction
With some success, scholars from various disciplines attempted to determine the nature and meaning of love. However, questions remain. It is a tendency to think, feel and act positively toward another person ( Hendrick & Hendrick, 1986). This approach was only successful in some types of love ( berscheid, 2010). Psychometric methods have been used by some social psychologists to define love. The Robert Sternberg Triangular Theory of Love and Susan Hendrick’sHendrick’s Love Attitudes Scale are two notable examples of psychometric approaches to love ( Hendrick & Hendrick, 1986; Sternberg, 1986). Data analysis of the LAS, Sternberg’sSternberg’s Scale, and the Passionate Love Scale of Hatfield (1986) showed a poor association between all types of love ( Hendrick & Hendrick, 1989). Another study found that these love scales are not compatible with all types of love ( Whitley, 1993; Sternberg, 1997; Masuda, 2003; Graham & Christiansen, 2009).
The neuropsychological approach to studying the nature of love has been popularized in recent years. The brain activity of those who are deeply in love has been compared to that of friends and family using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This revealed that there is an excellent network of brain cells involved in love ( Bartels & Zeki, 2000). Multiple lines of fMRI research have shown that a specific area of the brain is involved in maternal love (Noriuchi, 2008; Noriuchi and Kikuchi, 2013, 2013). Moreover, multiple brain systems have been implicated, including the reward system for romantic love (Aron, Fisher et al., 2005; Beauregard et al., 2009). Gu and colleagues, 2019, have shown that brain regions such as the ventral tegmental, anterior insula, and ventral striatum mediate material and social reward anticipation. While brain imaging offers unique insights into the nature and character of love, it is difficult to make sense of the psychological meaning or inferences from fMRI data ( Cacioppo, 2003).
There has been a growing interest in neurobiology and love. There is evidence to suggest that oxytocin and vasopressin may play roles in love and attachment ( Esch & Stefano, 2005; De Boer, 2012; Seshadri (2016); Feldman, 2017). However, there is not enough evidence to support the claims. The few imaging studies that have been done on love are constrained by the selection bias of the length of an affair, gender, and cultural differences ( De Boer and al., 2012).
While there have been many advances in understanding the meaning of love, there are still questions, and a framework that can help us understand it in all its forms is yet to be created. This article aims to provide a framework that can be used to understand all types of love.
Hypothesis Development and Theoretical Background (The AAC Model)
In the past few decades, the psychological literature has defined and described different forms of love, and from these descriptions, the role of attraction, attachment commitment, and caregiving (AAC) appears to be consistent in all forms of love.
The attraction theory was one of the first to explain the phenomenon known as love. Numerous studies and scholarly works have documented the importance of attraction in various forms of love (Byrne & Griffitt, 1973; Berscheid & Hatfield, 1978; Fisher & Braxton-Davis, 2010; Grant-Jacob, 2016; Fisher et al., 2006). Attraction is described as an evolutionary adaptation of humans to mating, reproduction, and parenting ( Fisher, 2006).
It has been extensively studied how attachment plays a role in love. Attachment bonds are a crucial feature of mammals, including parent-infant and pair bonds. They also interact with conspecifics and other peers ( Feldman, 2017). Attachment bonds have been shown to be caused by neural networks, including the interaction between oxytocin () and dopamine (). Attachment’sAttachment’s key characteristics include safety and security, proximity maintenance, and separation distress (2010). Multiple lines of research suggest that human beings have an inherent behavioral system that promotes attachment. Attachment is necessary for satisfaction and commitment in a relationship ( Peloquin and colleagues, 2013), and it leads to greater intimacy ( Sternberg, 1986).
Multiple lines of evidence also support the idea of caregiving as a role in love. It is believed that humans have an inborn caregiving system that complements their attachment system ( Bowlby, 1973; Ainsworth, 1985). Many studies have used the caregiving and compassionate love scales to describe the roles of caring, concern, and tenderness in relationships and love ( Shaver, 1994; Sprecher, 2005). In mutually-responsive relationships, partners are expected to take care of each other’sother’s welfare and needs. ( Clark and Mills 1979; Clark and Monin 2006)
Caregiving and attachment strengthen each other in relationships. There is evidence that caregiving can be accompanied by the development of a relationship between the caregivers and the recipients ( Bowlby, 1989, p.115). This strengthens attachment ( Bernscheid, 2010). Numerous studies have shown that attachment can positively influence caregiving behavior in love or relationships (Carnelley & Feeney, 1996; Collins & Feeney, 2001; Feeney & Collins, 2001; Mikulincer (2006); Canterberry et Gillath (2012); Peloquin and al. (2013)).
You can find the AAC model in all of the literature on love. The AAC model is based on the Robert Sternberg triangular theory. It proposes that love includes three components: intimacy, passion, and dedication ( Sternberg, 1986). His theory links passion to attraction ( Berscheid & Hatfield, 1978); and other passionate behaviors such as increased energy, obsessive following, and goal-oriented behaviors with the motivation to win and maintain a preferred mating partner ( Fisher and al., 2002b; Fisher & Oleson, 2005). Evidence also suggests that attachment is central to intimacy, another pillar of the triangular theory. Morris, 1992; Feeney and Noller, 1990; Oleson, 1996; Grabill and Kent, 2000. The last pillar of triangular theory is commitment. It is based on interdependence and social exchange theories ( Stanley and al., 2010). This is related to mutual caregiving as well as secure attachment.
Hendrick (1986) The Love Attitudes Scale is based on the AAC model. Many works on love ( Rubin, 1970; Hatfield & Sprecher, 1986; Fehr, 1994; Grote & Frieze, 1994) have used one or more of the factors from the ACC model. Berscheid (2010) proposed four models for love: companionate, romantic, compassionate, and adult attachment. These different types of love (romantic and companionate, compassionate, attachment, and other) all use at least one of the AAC factors.
