Psychologist Robert Sternberg said that love is made up of three things: passion, intimacy, and commitment. Passion consists of exciting sexual feelings of physiological arousal. Commitment consists of the decision to stay with the partner no matter what. Finally, intimacy consists of warmth, affection, closeness and sharing. In addition, there are three different types of intimacy: physical (affection and sex), psychological (sharing feelings and thoughts) and social (having fun together with friends).

Your assignment is to analyze three scenarios. For each, list each component of love that is present in the relationship and then list the kinds of intimacy involved in the relationship.

Bob and Sheila are a couple in their thirties who live in a small house with three children under age four. Both work outside the home and are exhausted by the intense demands of their lives. They have married for ten years and are generally happy with their relationship. They enjoy each other's company but find little time to be alone and virtually no privacy.
Jared and Jane have been married for 5 years and have no children. They're still intensely attracted to each other, but deciding how to spend their free time is difficult because Jared likes to play video games and watch action movies at home, while Jane yearns to attend parties, visit art galleries and take in foreign film premieres. Increasingly, they've found themselves fighting and wondering if they need marriage counseling.
Sofia is a college student who lives with several room mates in their university apartment. She wants to have fun in college without getting pinned down. She plans to backpack throughout Europe for a year after she graduates, and doesn't want a boy friend waiting for her.