Skip to main content

LOVE -How to measure love



Can you measure love? Robert Sternberg thinks so.


Early clinical perspectives on love can be found in the works of Freud and Maslow. But scientific approaches have looked at the many dimensions of love in the last few decades.

One popular theory is the Triangular Theory of Love presented by Robert J. Sternberg. As the name implies, there are three constructs in this theory of interpersonal love: Intimacy, passion, and commitment/decision (see Sternberg, 1986, for an explanation). Sternberg referred to each with a "temperature" rating from hot to cool--see the parentheses below.


Intimacy refers to lovers’ emotional investment in their relationship (feeling close, connected, bonded, a measure of "warmth").

Passion refers to lovers’ motivational involvement in their relationship (romance, attraction, sex, a measure of "hot").

Commitment/decision refer to lovers’ thoughts about their relationship in terms of decision (I love…) and commitment to the long-term relationship (a measure of "cool").

STERNBERG’S TRIANGULAR LOVE SCALE (TLS or STLS)

The scale has 45-items, which are rated on a 9-point scale. The end points are 1 = Not at all and 9 = Extremely. The midpoint label of 5 = Moderately. The other numbers do not have text labels. 

Each of the three dimensions (intimacy, passion, commitment/decision) include 15 items.

Following are examples (I will post a link to the full scale below).

Intimacy
______ 1. I am actively supportive of ____________’s well-being.
______ 2. I have a warm relationship with ____________.

Passion
______ 18. My relationship with ____________ is very romantic.
______ 19. I find ____________ to be very personally attractive.

Commitment/decision

______ 31. I know that I care about ____________.
______ 32. I am committed to maintaining my relationship with ____________.

Ad. Read more about love in Chapter 10 of Living Well: 10 Big Ideas of Faith and a Meaningful Life

on AMAZON.




Ad. Educators, researchers, and students may want to add a love scale to their survey projects.
Creating Surveys  on Amazon



Reliability and Validity

The values reported in the 1997 article indicate high reliability values in the .80s and .90s. Factor analyses supported the three-part theory. Validity values were also favorable. For example, Sternberg compared his scale to the Rubin Scales.

Links to the full scale (I do not guarantee these external links work). If they do not work, try using a search engine to find the Sternberg Triangular Theory of Love scale.

 http://www.kordoutis.gr/STLS.pdf

http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/psych_courses/APSY340/sternbergquiz.htm

Resource Link to more tests:  A – Z Test Index


 ad. Clinicians may want to use some or all of the items in their counseling practice.



Applied Statistics: Concepts for Counselors

Amazon Kindle

BUY ON AMAZON




References

Sternberg, R. J. (1986). A triangular theory of love. Psychological Review, 93, 119-135.

Sternberg, R. J. (1997). Construct validation of a triangular love scale. European Journal of Social Psychology, 27, 313-335.


Connections and Links to Resources

My Page    www.suttong.com

My Books   AMAZON

FACEBOOK   Geoff W. Sutton

TWITTER  @Geoff.W.Sutton

LinkedIN Geoffrey Sutton  PhD

Publications (many free downloads)
     
  Academia   Geoff W Sutton   (PhD)
    
  ResearchGate   Geoffrey W Sutton   (PhD)







Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Personal Self-Concept Questionnaire (PSQ)

  The Personal Self-Concept Questionnaire  ( PSQ )   Overview The Personal Self-Concept Questionnaire (PSQ) measures self-concept based on ratings of 18 items, which are grouped into four categories: Self-fulfilment, autonomy, honesty, and emotional self-concept. Subscales : The PSQ has four subscales 1. Self-fulfilment (6 items) 2. Autonomy (4 items) 3. Honesty (3 items) 4. Emotional self-concept (5 items)  ðŸ‘‰ [ Read more about Self-Concept and Self-Identity] The PSQ is a Likert-type scale with five response options ranging from totally disagree to totally agree. Reliability and Validity In the first study, coefficient alpha = .85 and in study two, alpha = .83. Data analysis supported a four-dimensional model (see the four categories above). Positive correlations with other self-concept measures were statistically significant. Other notes The authors estimated it took about 10 minutes to complete the PSQ. Their first study included people ages 12 to 36 ( n = 506). In the second s
Post a Comment
Read more

Student Self-Efficacy

  Assessment name:  STUDENT SELF-EFFICACY SCALE * Note. This post has been updated to provide an available measure of student self-efficacy. ———- Scale overview:  The  student self-efficacy scale i s a 10-item measure of self-efficacy. It was developed using data from university nursing students in the United States. Authors: Melodie Rowbotham and Gerdamarie Schmitz Response Type:  A four-choice rating scale as follows: 1 = not at all true 2 = hardly true 3 = moderately true 4 = exactly true   Self-efficacy is the perception that a person can act in a way to achieve a desired goal.  Scale items There are 10 items. Examples: I am confident in my ability to learn, even if I am having a bad day. If I try hard enough, I can obtain the academic goals I desire.   Psychometric properties The authors reported that their sample scores ranged from 25 to 40 with a scale mean of 34.23 ( SD  = 3.80. Internal consistency was high at alpha = .84. The authors reported the results of a principal compon
Post a Comment
Read more

Mathematics Self-Efficacy and Anxiety Questionnaire (MSEAQ)

  Scale name: Mathematics Self-Efficacy and Anxiety Questionnaire (MSEAQ) Scale overview: The Mathematics Self-Efficacy and Anxiety Questionnaire (MSEAQ) is a 29-item self-report measure of both mathematics self-efficacy and mathematics anxiety. Author: Diana Kathleen May Response Type: Items are rated on a 5-point Likert-type scale following a “no response” option: 1 = Never 2 = Seldom 3 = Sometimes 4 = Often 5 = usually Sample items 1. I feel confident enough to ask questions  in my mathematics class. 6. I worry that I will not be able to get a  good grade in my mathematics course.   Subscales and basic statistics for the MSEAQ       Self-Efficacy M = 44.11, SD = 10.78, alpha = .93       Anxiety M = 46.47, SD = 12.61, alpha = .93       Total Scale M = 90.58, SD = 22.78, alpha = .96 Reliability: See the Cronbach’s alpha levels reported above. Validity: There were significant positive correlations with similar measures. The results of a Fa
Post a Comment
Read more