Find out what are the differences between love and affection

Relationships include various feelings that impact on the emotional stability of every human being, but often the question arises as to what is it to love? What is it to want? and what is the difference between the two feelings?

We will clear all those doubts below.

THE LOVE

According to psychoanalyst Erich Fromm, “Love is the active concern for life and the growth of what we love.”

Love is caring, that is, being attentive and interested in the well-being of the other and personal. There is also responsibility and respect and this includes the individuality of the loved one and one's own.

According to psychologist José Padilla in couple relationships, love could be summed up to the synergistic interaction between connection, respect, trust and attraction.

THE AFFECTION

It is about the expression of affection towards a person. Their direct relationship goes with appreciation, and wanting to own or have something from someone, whether it is a similar display of affection. The act of possessing is not linked to domination, but to being ready and attentive to our voice.

IDENTIFY THE DIFFERENCES

It is important to identify certain points where you can find the differences. Take them into account and write them down.

1. Freedom and possession:

It is necessary to be clear that love is freedom. In this feeling there is no room for possession or domination. There is simply no room for submission to the couple's own whims, since you and the loved one must have and remember that freedom means genuine respect.

In the case of affection, possessive and dominant tendencies are more common, although this is not always the case.

2. The transcendence:

Love invites the person to go out in search of a new goal, where when finding that person he will consider him as valuable as it is important. In the case of affection, the person himself (the self) remains the main axis and does not lose his place of privilege.

3. Emotion

It may be that deep emotions arise within love, but these are not your central axis, since love is above emotions and they do not stop being just them. There is also an affective expression through gestures, but it is more than that. In the case of affection, it only remains an affective manifestation that can be gestures, words and actions.

4. Confidence

Doubts are left aside because in love there is trust towards the other person. When love is mutual, there is no room for mistrust, since it is known and trusted that the other person would not do anything to end up harming you.

As for affection, there is room for mistrust in the relationship, because it does not have a solid foundation.

5. Intimacy, passion and commitment

True love has intimacy, passion and commitment in mind. On the other hand, in affection, there is a more noticeable tendency towards passion, the intense desire to be together with the other person, with a short commitment or in the middle of the process.

6. The link

The bond that love has is very deep. Not in the case of affection. Love can have that strong bond without the need to fall into dependence because the person has self-love.

KEEP READING