{"id":11980,"date":"2025-05-29T15:15:45","date_gmt":"2025-05-29T19:15:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stationsme.ca\/ressource-etudiant\/factsheet-love-life-and-sexuality\/"},"modified":"2025-05-29T15:29:05","modified_gmt":"2025-05-29T19:29:05","slug":"factsheet-love-life-and-sexuality","status":"publish","type":"student-resource","link":"https:\/\/stationsme.ca\/en\/students\/taking-care-of-yourself\/tools-for-students\/factsheet-love-life-and-sexuality\/","title":{"rendered":"Factsheet : Love life and sexuality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

These days, relationships take many different forms: dating, friends-with-benefits, open couples, with or without cohabitation, polyamory, and so on. The form that the relationship takes depends on the agreement between the partners and what they want to get out of it. Sometimes, you may also feel the need to take a break and be single for a while. Whichever the case, for many of us, relationships are a big part of our lives. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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View all tools for this theme<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Celibacy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Why are you always single? How can you stay single for so long? Are you too picky? These are questions we hear all too often when we\u2019re single! These prejudices tend to diminish over the years, but they are still found in our society. The fact that people sometimes insist on questioning this status and its value can add extra pressure to embarking on a romantic relationship when, on the contrary, being single is not the end of the world! Similarly, whether or not you’ve ever been in a relationship doesn’t make you more or less valuable or more or less desirable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just like being in a relationship, being single has its advantages and disadvantages. It\u2019s a way of life that can do you a lot of good, and eventually make it easier for you to find a partner who\u2019s compatible with you, if that\u2019s what you want. Whether it\u2019s voluntary or not, being single can be an opportunity to make it a priority to work on your personal development, develop stimulating projects or build a social network of your own. It’s also an opportunity to think about what being in a relationship means to you and why you want to be in one or not at the moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, let\u2019s face it, the loneliness associated with being single can also lead to sadness and disappointment when trying to find a partner. If this is what you\u2019re going through, avoid as much as possible waiting for a partner to find your happiness. This stage of your life can be temporary, so make the most of this time, which is totally yours, to develop your full potential, your social network, and your friendships. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love in all its forms<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to one of the Sternberg\u2019s Theory of Love, love is made up of three components that can be felt to varying degrees: intimacy, passion, and commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"Intimacy<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Intimacy<\/strong>  is the emotional part of love. It\u2019s about the mutual feelings felt between partners, such as trust, the desire to exchange and to be close to one another. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Passion<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Passion <\/strong>  is the powerful part of love linked to physical and psychological attraction. This is how you feel when you absolutely need your partner and can\u2019t imagine life without him or her. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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\"Commitment<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Commitment <\/strong>  is about the extent to which you see your relationship as long-term beyond the  “stomach butterfly\u201d  phase. More than that, it\u2019s about translating that commitment into concrete actions and behaviours. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

The combination and intensity of each of these components give rise to the seven types of love defined below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Friendship<\/p>\n <\/i>\n <\/i>\n <\/div>\n

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This is the feeling of sincere affection for another. We understand each other, know each other, trust each other, and create memories together. But there\u2019s no passion, nor desire to commit to a long-term relationship.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Infatuation<\/p>\n <\/i>\n <\/i>\n <\/div>\n

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This is when there\u2019s more of an idealization and attraction towards another than a real understanding of who they are. You want and miss each other, which is often the case at the beginning of a relationship, when you\u2019re still a long way from planning an exclusive, long-term relationship.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Empty love<\/p>\n <\/i>\n <\/i>\n <\/div>\n

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Partners are together only for a rational decision that may include financial reasons, values, children, etc. It\u2019s a form of contractual obligation where there\u2019s no desire for each other, very little communication, or emotional involvement.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Romantic love<\/p>\n <\/i>\n <\/i>\n <\/div>\n

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This is the kind of love that makes for great stories, with the potential for a lasting relationship if the mutual will to commit eventually presents itself. There\u2019s a desire to spend time with each other, and to get to know and trust each other.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Companionate love<\/p>\n <\/i>\n <\/i>\n <\/div>\n

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These are relationships in which couples work together but are devoid of any form of sexual attraction. For example, couples who know each other perfectly well, but have no particular need for sex, or who satisfy this need with other partners.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Fatuous Love<\/p>\n <\/i>\n <\/i>\n <\/div>\n

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In these relationships, the partners are passionately in love with each other, but know little about each other. These are the stories that begin with love at first sight, but risk falling apart at the first heated argument.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Comsummate love<\/p>\n <\/i>\n <\/i>\n <\/div>\n

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This is love that encompasses all three dimensions. It\u2019s difficult to achieve and maintain, but not impossible to find. The proportion of each of the three components can vary and redefine itself over the course of the relationship, so it\u2019s normal to have ups and downs with this type of love.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Managing conflict in a loving relationship<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

You never know how a relationship will evolve, but one thing\u2019s for sure: sooner or later, you\u2019ll have to deal with conflict. This is normal because it\u2019s impossible to agree on everything with your partner. Money, budgeting, professional life, social relationships, and sexuality are all aspects of life together that can give rise to different opinions. In any case, remember the following facts: <\/p>\n\n\n\n