Love

Love is a word used to describe extreme affection for a person, an object, an idea, a country, a friend or a family member. Love is used to describe affection for many different things.

The ancient Greeks identified four forms of love:

• Philos - the love of close friends or brothers. Aristotle identifies several types of philos which can include utility as well as shared characteristics and values. The word is often attached to groups of people who share a love of a common pursuit.

• Storge - the love of family. This would include patriotism - the love of country or homeland.

• Eros - carnal or sexual love. This would include romantic love but would also include lust. Lust is intended by God, as laid down in the Bible, to be enjoyed between a married man and woman.

• Agape - love which seeks the highest good of others, not just friends, family or brothers, but including enemies. This is considered by all major world religions to be the highest kind of love, although Buddhism would regard it as compassion.

There is also a form of love called Narcissism, or self love, from the Greek myth of Narcissus, who fell in love with his own reflection. Although Freud considered that everybody has some degree of narcissism, and that this is present in us from birth, if taken to extremes narcissism can be considered a personality disorder.