Introduction
Love is typically viewed as one of the most complex emotions, which, to some extent, is correct since, unlike other emotional responses like happiness or sadness, love cannot be produced intentionally (Sinclair, Fehr, Wang, & Regehr, 2016). The intricate nature of the phenomenon, nonetheless, allows classifying the subject matter based on the type of relationships that are built between partners, their interactions, etc. Among essential typologies, the one suggested by Sternberg in his the triangular theory of love seems to be the most legitimate one. Although both compassionate love and fatuous love can be viewed as integral parts of consummate love, they have a range of unique properties that make them different and imply significant differences in the relationships between partners.
Analysis
At first sight, compassionate love and fatuous love have very little in common. Indeed, according to the taxonomy suggested by Sternberg in his triangular theory of love, the pace of developing feelings toward a partner is the primary difference between the two. While in compassionate love, devotion and loyalty are built throughout an impressive amount of time and are based on continuous interactions between partners, in fatuous love, the exact opposite can be observed. Being very passionate, it also implies the presence of a strong commitment between partners (Forest & Frieze, 2015). The specified characteristic of fatuous love makes it similar to the compassionate one since the latter also has a commitment at its foundation (Sinclair et al., 2016). Furthermore, even though the intensity of emotions experienced by partners may vary in fatuous and compassionate love, both imply a profound feeling toward a loved one (Sinclair et al., 2016).
However, there are also several features that set apart compassionate and fatuous types of love. For example, fatuous love is typically viewed as the embodiment of love at first sight, i.e., nearly immediate development of strong and very powerful emotion. One might deem the identified phenomenon as a sign of superficial feelings, yet fatuous love is also characterized by a deep attachment toward a partner and, thus, suggests relatively long relationships (Forest & Frieze, 2015). Compassionate love, in turn, implies that partners should develop a strong sense of commitment by engaging in continuous and regular interactions with each other. The presence of intimacy defines a further increase in the levels of attachment experienced by partners (Sinclair et al., 2016). The specified aspect of compassionate love makes it less thrilling for both partners, yet it contributes to building a strong bond that is bound to last for a very long time (Forest & Frieze, 2015).
Despite being the constituents of consummate love from the perspective of the triangular theory of love, compassionate love and fatuous love have very few points of contact since they are sparked by different circumstances and different intentions of the people that experience the identified emotions. Consequently, both seem to have very little in common. Nevertheless, the nature of each of the feelings is rooted in the same idea of devotion, compassion, and loyalty to a specific person. The time that the development of compassionate love and fatuous love, as well as the intensity of the emotions experienced by partners, may be different, yet the foundation for each feeling remains the same. Comprising consummate love, neither compassionate love nor fatuous love should be dismissed as unworthy or unrealistic. Instead, they need to be viewed as part and parcel of a fascinating experience.
References
Forest, A. L., & Frieze, I. H. (2015). Love and commitment. The Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, 1(1), 1-9. Web.
Sinclair, L., Fehr, B., Wang, W., & Regehr, E. (2016). The relation between compassionate love and prejudice: The mediating role of inclusion of out-group members in the self. Social Psychological and Personality Science, 7(2), 176-183. Web.