True Love is Forever

True love develops an everlasting bond between the individuals it unites. Benedict Carey’s article, “The Brain in Love,” observes several scientific studies examining the role biology plays in attraction and love. A leading psychologist, R.J. Sternberg, created the “Typology of Love Relationships” chart, which classifies components of love into three main categories: intimacy, passion, and decision/commitment. In order for love to qualify as true, or consummate, certain criteria must be met. These categories each contain a rating of either low, medium, or high, which provide the visual evolution of a love continuum. For true love to exist, all three components must maintain a “high” rating. Intimacy in a relationship involves an “emotional bond, connection, or closeness two people feel for each other.” Passion is the “physical attraction and sexual chemistry that two people experience,” and the final component is decision/commitment, which “refers to the conscious decision people make when they realize they love someone or when they decide to commit to one person” (Carey 404).

In Bell Hook’s essay, “Baba and Daddy Gus,” the author reflects on becoming aware of the genuine love her grandparents shared especially after the passing of Daddy Gus. “After his death it was easier to see the ways that they complemented and completed each other. For suddenly, without him as a backdrop, Baba’s spirit was diminished. Something in her was forever lonely and couldn’t not find solace” (377). Her account suggests an intimate bond between the two that may have not been outwardly apparent based on their physical interactions alone, but was obvious once the union was severed. Growing up, Hook’s saw that Baba and Daddy Gus were committed to each ot...

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...f in everyday relationships. Intimacy can take many forms, but it must be present for love to stand the test of time. Commitment requires conscious effort and a genuine acceptance of another person when circumstances may not be ideal. Sometimes that effort can be witnessed when quietly reaching for a hat and walking away or gently pulling a chair a few inches closer to another.

Works Cited

Carey, Benedict. “The Brain in Love.” Remix: Reading and Composing Culture. Ed. Catherine Latterell. 2nd ed. Boston Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010. 400-404. Print.

Hooks, Bell. “Baba and Daddy Gus.” Remix: Reading and Composing Culture. Ed. Catherine Latterell. 2nd ed. Boston Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010. 372-377. Print.

Sedaris, David. “The End of the Affair.” Remix: Reading and Composing Culture. Ed. Catherine Latterell. 2nd ed. Boston Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2010. 335-337. Print.