We often mistake love as generally just being 

romantic and never really appreciating the

other kinds of love that do exist.

SECURITY LOVE:
This love is the love that everybody needs to survive. It is that feeling of being cared for and
nurtured. Some people would describe this as the type of love parents have for
their children. This is so important: high on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs; and studies have
even proven that people have died of a "broken heart" (there have been no explanations for
their deaths other than that).

FRIENDSHIP LOVE:
This is a love between yourself and someone that is totally honest, open and comfortable.
You really only have this kind of bond with a few people. You might know a lot of people
and be "friendly" with them in a group situation but they are not the best friends I am talking
about here.
I have a theory that you can not truely be best friends with a member of the opposite sex.
Down the line romance will always come up from either party and feelings will be
misinterpreted and mistaken. When this happens, the friendship will change and possibly
never be the same again.

ROMANTIC LOVE:
(The much anticipated love!) Most people experience this type of love many times in their
life. It is when you see that person for the first time and he/she makes your knees go weak
or gives you butterflies in your stomach.i.e. "Love at first sight”. Most people don’t even love
the person they think they are in love with…they fall in love with the idea if being in love.
This is more of a lustful kind of love, it wears off after a while and hopefully leads to...

UNCONDITIONAL LOVE:
This is the sincere love, the love that lasts forever. This kind of love comes when you have
found the person you are destined to be with. Nothing can destroy unconditional love. It is
like when you have an argument or disagree about something with that person and you
realize that it doesn’t bother you because the love you have for him/her overcomes
everything. 

   So What is Love?

 
Here is my general conception of love: It’s a warm feeling based upon knowing and
accepting someone. This relationship often involves mutual learning, caring and
growth. Also, when you love someone you generally want them to be happy.
 
The dictionary.com definition of love had a few versions:
 
-a profoundly tender passionate affection for another person
-a sexual passion or desire
-a feeling of warm personal attachment or deep affection
 
Which could lead to another question (and article): Is love a concept,
feeling or action?
 
But for today, below are some different kinds of love that we hear mentioned. These are
not dictionary definitions; I am defining them with my stream-of-conscious
associations. This will give you an opportunity to think about each kind of love and offer
your definitions as well.
 
                                 15 Different Kinds of Love:
 
Infatuation- loving feelings towards a love object that are largely based upon fantasy
and idealization (instead of experience). Often when partners get to know each other,
infatuation diminishes.
 
Romantic Love- An abiding love for a partner with whom you feel passion, attraction,
caring and respect.
 
Eros- a passionate love usually involving sexual feelings for a love interest.
 
Companionate Love- feelings of warmth towards a friend with whom you love to spend
time
 
Unconditional Love- A type of affection and caring that is so strong that you feel
it consistently, regardless of what that other person does
 
Conditional Love- A love that requires specific action or conditions in order to be
maintained. For example, at its extreme, a parent who gives very conditional love would
only love his child when he gets straight A’s, becomes a surgeon and has two
children. The love is based on outside conditions and when they do not occur, the love
is withdrawn.
 
Puppy Love- A childish, innocent temporary crush on someone that you don’t know
well.
 
Maternal Love- This term usually connotes love that is nurturing, accepting and
protective. In actuality this love can also be given by a father etc.
 
Paternal Love- This term connotes love that involves guidance and some
authority. Paternal love usually prepares a child to be ready for the outside world. Again,
in reality this type of love is not gender specific.
 
Soulmate Love- This type of love is described as a love that has survived multiple life
times. Not everyone believes in this concept.
 
Spiritual/Divine Love- This type of love recognizes the Divine light in everyone and
everything. Love is given to everyone as an act of loving God.
 
Love of your country or patriotism- This is love for the place you live or the place that
were born. It is a type of loyalty and a special feeling of belonging that you attribute to
that specific geographic location.
 
Self-Love- This is a positive feeling that you have about who you are and what you
deserve. It often is expressed by treating yourself well, respecting yourself, wanting
yourself to be happy and expecting others to respect you too.
 
Brotherly Love- This term connotes having a feeling of love for your neighbor, because
all humanity is considered to be part of a larger family of human beings.
 
Tough Love- This term is used to describe a love that is expressed by setting
boundaries for the good of the other person. So for example, a parent may send their
teenager to rehab if he is drug addicted, even if he does not want to go. They feel that
this is an act of love because it stems from a desire for their son’s ultimate good and
happiness.
 
 
Which Types of Love Have You Experienced?
 
 
 
Have I forgotten any other kinds of love? So many types of love are mentioned in our
society. We understand these terms conceptually and most of us have had experiences
of feeling these different kinds of love but most of us haven’t sat and meditated upon
what love means to us and which kind we consciously want to give and receive in our
relationships.
 
So today I ask you to consider the above different definitions of love and see if you can
comment with any additions.
 
Also feel free to share the type of love you most want to give and receive in your life
right now and which type of love feels the most challenging and why.
 
Thanks!
 
My Best in Love, (which kind do you ask?:)
 
Paulette
 
Bio:
 
Dr. Paulette Kouffman Sherman is a licensed psychologist and author of ‘Dating From
the Inside Out: How to Use the Law of Attraction in Matters of the Heart’ by Atria Books,
award Winner of the National ‘Best Books’ of 2008 in the category of Self-Help:
Relationships.She’s the Director of http://www.mydatingschool.com which offers
coaching and classes in unconscious mating. She was a speaker of The Learning
Annex and an expert on television shows such as the CBS Early Show & the AM
Northwest Early Show. She has been quoted in publications such as MSN.com, USA
Weekend, Lifetime.com, Reader’s Digest, ‘Glamour,’ ‘Seventeen’ ‘Complete
Woman’ magazine and the NY Times.