The 14 types of couples: what is your relationship like?

There are many types of dating, do you want to know what is the fundamental characteristic of each one?

Love is one of the great motivations of the human being, and in fact, having a partner is one of the great vital objectives that people have.

Being in love is great, and makes you wake up every morning as if you were on a cloud. However, that initial period of falling in love then has to be worked on. Being in a couple is a constant negotiation where, in many occasions, different personalities coexist..

Keys to a healthy relationship

This clash of personalities, interests and even objectives can turn relationships into a real ordeal. Possibly there is still a great attraction, however, the difficulties that may arise and especially poor communication, can cause the relationship to become toxic. For this not to happen we must always:

• Love from freedom and respect
• Communicate effectively
• Negotiate and propose intermediate solutions
• Share time with the couple
• Pamper the relationship
• Change if necessary
• Trusting each other

• You can learn more about these tips in our post: "The 7 keys to a healthy relationship".

Love according to Sternberg's theory

There have been many love theorists, one of the best known is Robert Sternberg. In his triangular theory of love, the American psychologist states that there are three different components that manifest themselves in any relationship: intimacy, passion and commitment:

• IntimacyIntimacy refers to affection, to the closeness with the partner, to that connection that we only feel with the person we love.
• PassionPassion: It is the intense feeling of being with that person in an intimate way and expressing romantic desires. It is the excitement and intense desire to spend moments alone with the other.
• CommitmentCommitment is the decision to be with the other person and to maintain that love over time. It is what helps to overcome bad times.

Types of loving partners

In love, not everything is black and white, but there are many ways to love. But how can we classify couples? Following Sternberg's theory, éhe proposes different types of love and, therefore, different types of couples..

In this article you can find the different types of couples. They are the following:

1. Infatuation

Infatuated couples are characterized by having only one of the three characteristics discussed in the previous section: passion. Despite the fact that they are together the partners do not really know each other, resulting in low intimacy.This results in a low level of intimacy. Likewise, they do not feel commitment either. Infatuation may refer to the beginning of the relationship.

2. Empty relationships

Empty love is characterized by commitment, but no passion and no intimacy.. Basically, it refers to marriages of convenience.

3. Romantic couples

Romantic love is characterized by intimacy and passion, however, there is no commitment.. It would be the typical summer love or short relationships in which nothing is rationalized and no pacts are established between the people involved. Everything is experienced spontaneously without trying to establish it as a clearly solid relationship.

4. Sociable couples

Sociable love refers to the love that two people feel when there is intimacy and commitment, but not passion.. For example, when they have been in a relationship for many years and no longer have intimate encounters, but are governed rather by routine and by those shared activities that can also be done in the social sphere beyond the domestic.

5. Fatuous relationships

In these couples intimacy is never built. They are characterized by passion and commitment, but not intimacy. This makes it common to keep many secrets to oneself, even if they are important and concern the other person involved in the relationship. Love is experienced as a one-sided experience.

6. Consummate love

The relationships that present this type of love are the ones that can be content. They are healthy relationships, possessing the three components of Sternberg's theoryintimacy, passion and commitment.

Other types of couples

However, depending on the quality of the relationship, the length of time they have been together and the couple's values, there are other types of couples:

7. Best friends

They say that a partner is a friend with erotic moments. Sometimes intimate moments are shared with that person who is your faithful friend. In this type of couple, the partners may have been friends already at school, grew up together and shared great moments of friendship.. One day, the way they saw each other changed, and then romantic love between them arose. However, it may happen that people meet at a later age and after being best friends they end up as a couple.

8. The quarrelsome

According to a popular saying, quarrelsome loves are the most loved ones. This may be true with this type of couple. They have arguments every now and then and get along like cats and dogs, but there they go, rowing against the current. If you are friends with either of them, you are probably tired of consoling them. And, even if you don't understand it, either one of them has low self-esteem, or their intimate moments are really excellent.

9. Those with a common hobby

No doubt about it, sharing a hobby with your partner is one of the best ways to keep the relationship alive.. Some couples go camping together, surfing or rock climbing. Others are fitness enthusiasts, and others are party animals and night owls. These couples share many moments together and enjoy each other.

10. Life-long lovers

Some couples met really young and have spent their entire lives together.. These couples, without a doubt, are the ideal couple in people's eyes, but not all relationships are so lucky. Many break down along the way due to the wear and tear produced by the accumulation of crises and quarrels, or the loss of passion or intimacy.

11. Long distance couples

Sometimes, it can happen that love arises but the person lives elsewhere.. Many decide that this is not the way to live and one of the two moves to where the other is. However, for various reasons this is not always possible, and some couples have to spend a long time at a distance. Distance is not good for the relationship, so this type of couple does not usually last long.

12. The partner of interest

Although we may find it hard to accept, some people are in a relationship out of interest.. Whether it is for economic interest, to get the papers or not to be alone. As sad as it may seem to us, they even get married. It is a way of understanding love in which this feeling has an instrumental purpose.

13. The madly in love

There are some couples who spread their love to the four winds, who are all day long posting pictures of themselves on social networks and spend 24 hours together. If they go out with friends, they are all over each other "snogging non-stop". These couples can't spend a single moment without each other because they are madly in love..

14. Those with an open relationship

Many couples are of the classic type, however, there are exceptions. Some are liberal couples, so they have a different way of thinking than traditional couples. While many would think that sleeping with others is a betrayal and infidelity, liberal couples think that for the health of the couple, they should be introducing other actors in intimate relationships. Have you heard of polyamorous relationships?