Measuring love in romantic relationships: A meta-analysis
- 29 December 2010
- journal article
- review article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Journal of Social and Personal Relationships
- Vol. 28 (6) , 748-771
Abstract
The present study identifies the higher-order factors underlying the most popular measures of love in use today through meta-analytic factor analysis. Eighty-one studies representing 103 samples and 19,387 individuals provided data for the meta-analysis. The reported correlations between several commonly-used measures of love were aggregated across studies to form a meta-analytic correlation matrix, which was then subjected to principle components analysis. Factors suggesting general love, romantic obsession, and practical friendship emerged. Love was positively and obsession was negatively associated with relationship satisfaction and length.The results corroborate recent conceptualizations of love and point toward the need for measurement methods other than global self-report in the field of love research.Keywords
This publication has 102 references indexed in Scilit:
- Meta-analytic structural equation modeling: A two-stage approach.Psychological Methods, 2005
- Respect in close relationships: Prototype definition, self‐report assessment, and initial correlatesPersonal Relationships, 2002
- WOMEN'S PERSONALITY TRAITS, INTERPERSONAL COMPETENCE AND AFFECTION FOR DATING PARTNERS: A TEST OF THE CONTEXTUAL MODELSocial Behavior and Personality: an international journal, 2000
- The subjective experience of intimacy, passion, and commitment in heterosexual loving relationshipsPersonal Relationships, 1998
- The Impact of Social Support on Gay Male CouplesJournal of Homosexuality, 1997
- A developmental model of intimacy and date request explicitnessCommunication Monographs, 1997
- Differences in Love Attitudes across Family Life StagesFamily Relations, 1997
- Attachment style and the structure of romantic loveBritish Journal of Social Psychology, 1991
- The Association between Romantic Love and MarriagePersonality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 1986
- Care, need, and conceptions of love.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1982