ABSTRACT
Does romantic love endure? That’s a million-dollar question! Some say “Yes”; others say “No”; still others may answer “I’m not sure – it depends.”
This chapter reviews some of the common problems associated with the components of long-term romantic love. The author notes, “Although there is no clear answer to romantic love’s endurance, the very presence of conflicting evidence provides a clue that something else must be at play.”
In Chapter 6, the author circles back to a concept introduced previously. A key to conceptualizing long-term romantic love can be found in comparing love and tornadoes. Although the two have much in common, there is one very important difference. When a tornado dies out, the news is a welcome relief. When romantic love fizzles, the news is not so happy.
The author proposes that instead of viewing long-term romantic love as one massive, amazing twister requiring sustainment, maybe it should be seen as a series of mini weather systems, with periods of calm and lovely days in between. In comparison to weather, passionate love is the unpredictable, exciting tornado; companionate love is the calm and stable weather patterns; romantic love is the delicate balance between the two. Can romantic love last? Anything’s possible!
