The Definition and Forms of Love - Essay Example

.Love is the noun referring to a variety of feelings, emotions, attitudes, and states which range from affection to pleasures. The noun may be used in reference to a very strong emotional and personal attraction or the actions of compassion one shows to others, the self or animals. Love also refers to the virtue of being affectionate, kind, and companionate, or concerned about the welfare of other people. The emotions are usually special, complicated, and not easily understandable; most people have the belief that the feeling of love takes place in one's heart but it actually occurs in one's brain. This is because the generation and interpretation of the various chemicals substances signaling our feeling and understanding of love take place in the brain. I will be analytically illuminating the different kinds of love as defined by the oxford dictionary.

The type of love is usually unconditional, sacrificial and drives people to forgiveness hence assuring them of comfort and safety.
Eros or romantic love on the other hand is defined as referring to the strong feeling of affection towards someone you are sexually attracted to. it is characterized by intense feelings of passion which arouse romance and makes one use the phrase “I love You.” in other words it is the love that culminates in sex and lovemaking between the partners and unless moved to a higher notch it may fade with time since it centers mostly on the self. In case the person expressing the love for some reason stops feeling good about the relationship then they may stop showing their emotions to the partners. This is the kind of love that culminates into a marriage between the two people if the emotions are taken beyond sexual satisfaction to seek companionship.

Agape refers to a kind of unconditional love that looks past the surface and accommodates the other person as they are regardless of their shortcomings and flaws. It is what we all strive to have and show towards fellow humans; we may not like our neighbors for instance but we want to love them as humans. It is therefore very sacrificial in nature as we are expected to give without expecting any returns. Closely related to agape is philia or friendship which refers to the feeling of affection, warmth, and tenderness that makes us desire a friendship with somebody else. It makes agape alive; we may show agape to our enemies for instance but philia for them. Its translation is in the noun form hence it describes how we feel about other people.

In conclusion therefore may refer to a mixture of reactions and emotions that we show towards other people in our environment. Depending on the context there are different kinds of love; the kind of love I show to my brother and mother is not the same as what I will show to my friend at work or girlfriend. It occurs in our brain and not hearts as many think since the interpretation of information takes place in the brain. I, therefore, believe it is influenced by our feelings and perceptions of others and the emotions may change if the recipient’s situation changes or something happens that affects the emotions negatively. Trust and affection are very important in keeping love going.