Platonic Love: Its Meaning For Both Sexes?

Platonic love - what it means, everyone knows, and some even lived or live in such a relationship. Without physical intimacy, only spiritual unity of hearts, souls, mind. They take such a responsible step deliberately, and after thinking everything over.

The content of the article

• 1 The difference between platonic love and several of its varieties
• 2 The reasons for the occurrence of platonic love between lovers
• 3 How long can platonic love last and how it ends

The difference between platonic love and its several varieties

The main and main difference between platonic love is the lack of physical intimacy between people. Spiritual love is one of the manifestations of strong feelings. Experienced psychologists distinguish several types of it:

Parental love. A variant of unconditional platonic love, when parents surround their children with warmth and care. At the same time, maternal love is singled out separately - she loves the child for what he is - not relying on the deeds and actions of the offspring. Father's love is different - it is necessary to earn it, to justify expectations. Also, under certain circumstances, it can be lost altogether. Each parent has both components - some more, some less.

The love of children for their mother. At different historical stages of the study of this type of love, scientists assumed the following options for its etiology:

• intrauterine community of mother and child;
• "Imprinting" the image of a mother by a child from infancy;
• a response to unconditional maternal love and care.

Love for the Divine. In order to overcome loneliness and a feeling of unity with God, to feel the fullness of oneself. Likewise, a true believer does not demand, does not complain, he faithfully (but not blindly) follows the principles and commandments, believes that his life is as valuable as God gives the opportunity to evaluate it.

Love between women. True and strong friendship is an example of platonic love between two women. When all the feelings they show are sincere and fully express what they feel for each other (affection, common experiences, etc.).

Love between men. Also a variant of strong friendship, but based on other canons. So, true friendship is based on

• community of interests and opinions on many issues;
• the duration of friendly relations - they often begin in childhood;
• mutual respect;
• ease of communication, without resentment and prejudice (as is sometimes the case with women).

Love between a man and a woman. The option is quite common. It involves the fusion of the spiritual component of two people, without a hint of sexual relations.

The causes of platonic love between lovers2

Age. For spouses who have lived together for a large number of years, classic love turns into platonic. Age-related changes in the body of men and women exclude having sex. Also, lonely elderly people who have no relatives left prefer to get acquainted with the same loners to conduct a joint life. Over time, love often arises between them - a platonic feeling.

Distance. When lovers are forced to leave for an indefinite period (long business trip, personal family problems of one of the couple, internship in another country, etc.), their love is forced to turn into platonic. Sometimes this is very useful for realizing the value of the relationship between lovers.

Also, real strong relationships can arise and begin with platonic love when meeting over the Internet. People communicate online, get to know each other better and gradually fall in love with the inner world of a person, and not with the exterior. If people decide to meet and continue the relationship, but usually such alliances are very strong in the future.

Unrequited love for a guy or a girl. When one loves, and the second either allows himself to be loved or may not even know about it. This variant of the development of feelings is more often characteristic of very modest, romantic and young people who are embarrassed at the mere thought that they can confess their feelings to the object of their love.

More often this love is characteristic of adolescents and does not last long. As you get older, outlooks on life and relationships become more serious and deliberate, and there is a need for a serious reciprocal relationship.

Religion. There are denominations that severely restrict any manifestation of carnal love to legal marriage. And if feelings do happen, there is only one thing left - the closeness of souls.

The presence of physiological abnormalities. Frigidity in a woman or physiological impotence in a man - such diagnoses do not scare everyone. Many find love in spiritual unity with a partner and forget about their illness, live happily and happily full lives.

How long can platonic love last and how it ends3

Platonic love in different couples and under different circumstances can last for different times. This means that for someone it lasts most of their life, and for someone it moves to a different level of relationship. To prolong it, you need to work on relationships, constantly nourish them and understand the essence of love.

Exalted relationships end in many ways.

• can go into another form and be one of the stages in the development of relationships (for example, into friendship, into a family);
• may be interrupted completely due to a quarrel or a gradual fading of feelings;
• can last a lifetime.