love and one that describes both compassion and mercy. There is also love to one supreme God. There are psychological theories of love by different psychologists and psychiatrists. Sigmund Freud had an early theory on love, where he believed that engagement of the ego was related to the ability of love. According to Maslow’s hierarchy, self-actualization at the top of the hierarchy indicates someone who is capable of love. Rubin identified the difference between liking and love, with love having the components of caring, attachment, and intimacy. According to Sternberg, intimacy is the most important factor in attaining love. Sternberg identified several forms of love that involved different combinations of intimacy, passion, and commitment. Currently Sternberg’s triangular theory of love is most accepted.
INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS Intimate relationships involve, of course, some level of intimacy. There are certain neuroanatomical theories on why humans are intimate. Components of love are romantic love, attachment, lust, and rejection as part of love. As mentioned, attachment is a big part of intimacy. It helps to initiate preferences in a partner. Most monogamous relationships are exclusive and involve a desire to share responsibilities of parenting. Studies on animals show that dopamine in the ventromedial area, nucleus accumbens, and prefrontal cortex gets activated, which leads to activation of reward systems in the brain. Oxytocin is more important in female intimacy and less important in males, whereas arginine vasopressin is a major component of mate selection and pair bonding in males. Both males and females will activate the dopamine system. There are also oxytocin receptors in the prefrontal cortex and arginine vasopressin receptors in the ventral pallidum. Romantic love involves attention to a specific person. Studies have shown that the right ventral tegmental area of the brain is activated when a person sees a picture of someone they love. Dopamine is released by other parts of the brain as part of a reward system.
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