Psychology of Love: Theories and Types

Love: Forms and Measures

• Lee's typology of love identifies various styles of love, each with distinct characteristics.
• Sternberg's typology of love describes love as having three components: intimacy, passion, and commitment.
• Theories of love include behavioral reinforcement (attraction to positive experiences), physiological arousal (link between arousal and attraction), cognitive (commitment's link to bonding chemicals), and evolutionary (maximizing gene transmission).

Origins of Love

• Behavioral reinforcement theory posits that we are drawn to people who bring us positive feelings.
• Physiological arousal theory suggests we associate arousal with attraction (increased heart rate, cortisol, etc).
• Cognitive theories connect commitment to increased bonding chemicals like oxytocin and vasopressin.
• Evolutionary theory proposes that species develop traits leading to maximum reproduction and survival chances.

Love from Childhood to Maturity

• Early attachment styles significantly influence adult relationship patterns.

Dating and Committed Relationships

• Dating apps and online communication have altered romantic and sexual relationships, leading to a shift from in-person interaction to more casual online communication.
• Non-committed sexual relationships can offer freedom and casualness but also present potential negative experiences like unclear agreements, jealousy, confusion, and poor communication.
• Cohabitation offers advantages (shared living spaces, bills) but also involves potential disadvantages (reduced personal space, increased arguments).
• Consensual non-monogamy involves all partners agreeing to a non-monogamous relationship structure.
• Non-consensual non-monogamy involves non-agreement from all parties (e.g., infidelity).

Divorce

• Divorce rates have fluctuated over time, presenting varying trends.

Abortion

• State laws regulate abortion procedures.
• Abortion is generally legal until late second trimester, potentially throughout the third trimester under specific circumstances.
• Specific restrictions may apply (public funding limitations, parental consent for minors).
• Access to abortion clinics varies regionally in the US.
• Factors driving abortion decisions include significant life changes or financial constraints.
• Typical characteristics of abortion seekers in the US include being in their 20s, already parents, and from lower-income backgrounds; often using contraception.

Abortion Procedures

• Medication abortion (up to 10 weeks): involves mifepristone (terminates pregnancy) and misoprostol (empties uterus).
• Vacuum aspiration (first trimester): utilizing sedation and local anesthesia, this involves opening the cervix to remove uterine contents via vacuum.
• Dilation and evacuation/curettage (second trimester): performed until viability; involves dilation of the cervix (potentially over 12-24 hours) and removing uterine contents by forceps, curettage, or suction.

Sexual Violence

• Sexual Assault encompasses various non-consensual sexual acts.
• Rape involves non consensual penetration.
• Sexual coercion involves pressure to engage in sexual activity through various means.
• Rape myths often circulate, with assumptions about victim behavior, reporting frequency and potential false reports.
• Cultural factors influence sexual violence rates.

Demographics of Sexual Violence

• Several groups face higher risks of sexual violence, including LGBTQ+ people, trans/nonbinary individuals, young people, individuals with disabilities, and sex workers.
• Gender roles frequently impact a survivor's willingness/ability to report violence.

Male Victims of Sexual Violence

• Men can be victims of sexual violence.
• Gender norms can impede reporting.

Coping Strategies

• There are steps individuals can take after experiencing sexual violence.

Erotic Representations

• Pornography lacks artistic merit, focusing solely on sexuality.
• Erotica possesses artistic merit.
• Obscenity lacks artistic value, appeals to prurient interests, and offends community standards.
• Courts define pornography and obscenity based on local standards and lack of artistic merit.
• Research findings regarding pornography's relationship to sexual assault rates are inconclusive, despite potential correlation with increased violence rates in communities with more explicit media.

Sex Trafficking

• Sex trafficking involves the illegal transport of individuals for sexual exploitation.
• Vulnerable populations (poverty, unstable housing, trauma, addiction, immigrant/color, LGBTQ+ status) face higher risks.