Posit: Love is subject to qualitative analysis.

[triadruid]

We can identify defining characteristics of (romantic) love that distinguish it from other relationships:

• Attraction


• Common Interests


• Trust


• Compatible Dysfunctions (thanks to featherynscale for this term)


• Within a 'Standard Deviation' of each other (thanks go to azanthia for this one)

I should explain the 'Standard Deviation' concept a bit further; essentially, it means someone who is not so far above you, or so far beneath you, that the difference is going to cause a problem. This can be intellectual difference, social class difference, religion, whatever.. opposites may attract, but similarities build resonance.

If you have some subset of these characteristics, you can have a relationship, even a good one, just not the same one. For instance, Common Interests + Trust + Compatible Dysfunctions + Standard Deviation = Best Friend for Life(?). Common Interests + Trust = Favorite Coworker(?).

And so on. Feel free to poke holes, I just found it interesting and didn't want to forget the midnight philosophy.

Comments

[kittenpants.livejournal.com]

Wow. It's the Elements of Compatibility I wrote two years ago.

"Broadly, the needs for a healthy relationship can be broken into five categories, which in some ways correspond to the elemental pentacle – Intellectual, Spiritual, Emotional, Physical, and Mythical compatibility. A truly amazing relationship – a life partnership – can be achieved when all five elements of compatibility are in harmony between two people. Here’s the outline of the list of the elements and their aspects. Low compatibility in an aspect is not an insurmountable issue, but if too many aspects are incompatible, and especially if many aspects within one element are incompatible, much work would need to be done to sustain the relationship, and perhaps it might be best to continue the search. [snip]

Intellectual
-communication
-education
-intelligence
-common sense
-problem solving
-humor

Physical
-attraction/sex
-career/finance
-health
-responsibility
-risk-taking
-public/private

Emotional
-compassion
-expression/sharing
-integrity
-trust
-health
-addictions

Spiritual
-theology
-practice
-tolerance
-passions
-motivations
-life attitude

Mythic
-needs
-desires
-personal growth
-life path
-position in life
-future goals/aspirations"

Overacheiver

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

That's it. You're out of the standard deviation range with everybody now :)

[triadruid.livejournal.com]

Okay, fine, point out the bloody obvious! :P

See, I knew someone had done this before; if you'd been awake, we could have all gone to bed much earlier. ;)

Alternate proposition...

[featherynscale.livejournal.com]

Posit: The psychologist and the sociologist should not stay up all night after drinking and try to figure out things that belong in the realm of the artist.

poke, poke, poke

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

This is the book I promised to make you write, dear. How's it coming?