Hey Loves,
I’m pulling one from the archives today, I wrote this almost 2 years ago and probably 2 people read it. I put a lot of effort into studying the different types of love based on Greek love myths. I was totally oblivious that these actually existed so I remixed this post and hopefully you’ll find it as interesting as I did.
It has always been my belief that when you love someone you can love them on many different levels. You don’t always love the person the same as you may love someone else. Each experience is unique and different. Love blossoms, love fades, love gets renewed, love is sometimes found, love is lost, love is unexpected and sometimes it wasn’t love to begin with. It is through these experiences that we learn more about ourselves and the type of love we show towards our partner. According to the Greeks, there are 6 different types of love styles that a person can display. I read what the Greeks had to say and put my own spin on it.
Eros Love – The Love of Beauty –
Translation- SHALLOW HAL
Remember the post I wrote last year about the Shallow Hal Syndrome. You simply love based on what you deem is attractive and beautiful. You’re more in love with the idea of love than the actual person, looks are very important to you, and you live in a fantasy world. Once the attraction fades you’re up like chuck and most of your relationships fizzle out fast. Meaning what looks good on the outside doesn’t mean it’s good on the inside. Eros love lacks passion and is highly driven by the emotional aspects of love.
Pragma Love – The Love of Security –
Translation – AIN’T NOTHING GOING ON BUT THE RENT
Your love is not based on emotions. It’s based on your love of material possessions and what a person can offer you. You’re rational and practical when it comes to relationships. You focus on social status, career goals, the income of a partner, and whether they can afford to buy you that $1200.00 Chanel Bag. A healthy relationship to you doesn’t involve any emotion or passion just an AMEX black card.
Storge Love – Love that Blossoms from Friendship
Translation – TAKING A HUGE RISK
You have been friends for years and all of a sudden you find yourself going from platonic friends to romantic lovers. The sex isn’t important because of the friendship you developed before the transition took place. You become caring, compassionate, and can talk about anything. Unfortunately the romance can fizzle. There’s a 50/50 possibility that you will go back to being friends or the friendship will die altogether. Sometimes you don’t cross boundaries. In most cases, you won’t end up married like in like the movies when friends become lovers. That’s why that shit is a movie because we all appreciate a good story.
Ludus Love- The Love of the Game
Translation- DON’T HATE THE PLAYER, HATE THE GAME
Ludus lovers are the game runners in the romance department. You love the thrill of the chase and the aspect of forming a romantic relationship but once the chase is over, it’s on to the next one. You lack the staying power it takes to form any type of long term commitment and its more about quantity than quality to you.
Agape Love – Self Sacrifice
Translation – TRUE LOVE
You give without any expectations in return, you sacrifice for the love of someone else, you view your partner as a blessing and vow to take care of them. Sex is viewed as a gift and you love unconditionally. Think of the movies Titanic and Forest Gump, How Leonardo DiCaprio sacrificed his life for Rose and in Forest Gump, no matter how far Jenny was or what she did, Forest loved her unconditionally. Although this is said to be the truest form of love, you often neglect your own needs for the sake of another. A healthy relationship requires both giving and receiving. It’s never one sided!
Mania Love – Plain & Simple You Crazy
Translation – YOUR ASS CRAZY AS HELL
Think of the movies Misery & Fatal Attraction. There’s absolutely no love in cooking a little girls pet rabbit on a stove like a pot of collard greens with ham hocks, but to you it is. You view your partner as a possession and at some point you cripple them with a sledge hammer so they can’t get away from you. Love focused on turmoil, extreme reactions, and a whole lot of unnecessary drama isn’t in any way healthy, but to you this is the way you show love.
There’s nothing wrong with possessing more than one style of love that’s listed except Mania. Many relationships go through the different styles before making it to Agape which is supposedly true love. It is said that people work best when both share the same love style because they’re both on the same page. As someone once quoted to me, true love is unexplainable, if you can list the reasons why you love someone, then it‘s probably not love.
