Companionate Love Scale

Background:

Targeting an area of research that has long been dominated by Western scientists, Elaine Hatfield and Richard L. Rapson tell a new and updated story of love and sex in the modern world. With the advent of technology that is progressively shrinking our global community, the authors aim to assess how intimate relationships are carried out in a wide array of societies. The approach is multidisciplinary and cross-cultural, appealing to students of psychology, anthropology, sociology, history, literature, and art. A strong research base and an appealing narrative style characterise this ideal supplementary text. They introduce the Companionate Love Scale, a measure designed to assess the presence and degree of compassionate love in a relationship.

Psychometrics:

For information on reliability and validity of the scale see: Hatfield, E., & Rapson, R. (1996). Love and sex: Cross-cultural perspectives. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. 

Author of Tool:

Hatfield, E., Rapson, R.

Key references:

Hatfield, E., & Rapson, R. (1996). Love and sex: Cross-cultural perspectives. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Hatfield, E., & Rapson, R. L. (l993). Love, sex, and intimacy: Their psychology, biology, and history. New York: HarperCollins.

Primary use / Purpose:

To assess levels of companionate love.

Companionate Love Scale

Cross-Cultural Research on Close Relationships

This research focuses on how men and women from different cultural backgrounds view close relationships. We would like to know something about the thoughts, feelings, and experiences you’ve had in romantic love relationships. Please answer honestly. Your answers will be kept strictly confidential. Thank you in advance for your participation.

                   Are you in love with anyone right now?

  1. Yes
  2. No

Passionate Love Scale

We would like to know how you feel (or once felt) about the person you love, or have loved, most passionately. Some common terms for passionate love are romantic love, infatuation, love sickness, or obsessive love.

Please think of the person whom you love most passionately right now. If you are not in love right now, please think of the last person you loved. If you have never been in love, think of the person whom you came closest to caring for in that way. Try to tell us how you felt at the time when your feelings were the most intense.

Whom are you thinking of?

              Someone I love right now.

              Someone I once loved.

              I have never been in love.

Possible answers range from:

1             2             3             4              5              6            7             8             9

Not at                                                   Moderately                                         Definitely

all true                                                     true                                                      true

I would feel deep despair if          left me.

Sometimes I feel I can’t control my thoughts; they are obsessively on          .

I feel happy when I am doing something to make          happy.

I would rather be with          than anyone else.

I’d get jealous if I thought          were falling in love with someone else.

I yearn to know all about          .

I want          physically, emotionally, mentally.

I have an endless appetite for affection from          .

For me,          is the perfect romantic partner.

I sense my body responding when          touches me.

always seems to be on my mind.

I want to know me–my thoughts, my fears, and my hopes.

I eagerly look for signs indicating          ‘s desire for me.

I possess a powerful attraction for          .

I get extremely depressed when things don’t go right in my relationship with          .

               Total Passionate Love Scale Score

Companionate Love Scale

We would also like to know how you feel (or once felt) about the person you love, or have loved, most companionately. Some common terms for companionate love are affectionate love, tender love, true love, or marital love.

Please think of the person whom you love most companionately right now. If you are not in love right now, please think of the last person you loved. If you have never been in love, think of the person whom you came closest to caring for in that way. Try to tell us how you felt at the time when your feelings were the most intense.

Who are you thinking of?:

              Someone I love right now.

              Someone I once loved.

              I have never been in love.

Please indicate your feelings on the following scale:

1           2           3           4            5            6          7           8           9

Not at all         Somewhat         Moderately             Quite           Extremely true of me                   true of me          true of me            true of me       true of me

Decision/Commitment

I expect my love for          to last for the rest of my life.

I can’t imagine ending my relationship with          .

I am committed to maintaining my relationship with          .

I have confidence in the stability of my relationship with          .

Intimacy

I strongly desire to promote the well being of          .

I have a relationship of mutual understanding with          .

          is able to count on me in times of need.

I feel emotionally close to          .

l 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

              Total Companionate Love Scale Score

References:

Hatfield, E., & Rapson, R. L. (l993). Love, sex, and intimacy: Their psychology, biology, and history. New York:  HarperCollins. ISBN: 0-06-500702-6

Hatfield, E., & Rapson, R. (1996). Love and sex: Cross-cultural perspectives. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon. ISBN: 0-205-16103-0

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