Abstract
The present discussion specifies a number of elements which seem to be involved in functional and pathological relationships. Since the stability of such relationships may be attributable to the manner in which “love” is transacted and interchanged, it seems advisable for the clinician to utilize a more precise set of criteria against which both adaptive and maladaptive relationships may be appraised and therapeutically managed. In this context, the judicious expression of the following elements of adaptive love relationships were identified: (a) needing, (b) giving, (c) romance, and (d) companionship. Similarly, the common determinants of maladaptive love relationships, i.e., (a) power, (b) possession, (c) protection, (d) pity, and (e) perversion, were also labeled and discussed together with therapeutic implications. With these specific elements the therapist may be more able to assess counter-productive patterns and promote the conditions under which qualitative changes in the relationship might be accomplished with improved speed and consistency.
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