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Friendship
Before we can enter into a romantic relationship, and indeed after we have entered one, friendship must be the core element. True friendship means meeting a
persons true emotional needs, by means of the other elements shown here. Pure friendship is said to be the engine of romantic love.

Respect
If friendship is the engine of romantic love, that engine will not turn without the fuel of respect. As a race, we are motivated and stimulated to be in the company
of people we truly respect. Respect is usually based on our perception of a persons self-reliance. The more capable a person seems to be of standing on their
own two feet, the more we are likely to respect them. Conversely, the more dependent a person becomes upon us, the clingier they become, the more our
respect for them evaporates. It is impossible to respect someone you can control like a puppet. Even when we are projecting an image of respecting them, to
protect their image and reputation, subconsciously our respect for them diminishes and love deteriorates into pity.

Passion
We are not talking exclusively about sexual passion here. We are referring to the level of romantic desire that exists within us for that person, the fire that
burns within us for that person. It is quite normal for levels of passion to go up and down dependent upon our feelings when we are with the person in different
circumstances.

SELF-LOVE – WHERE IT ALL STARTS

Self-esteem and self-respect are the foundation qualities of the truly healthy personality.

The more you like or love yourself, the more you will like and love other people. The amount of love and respect you have for others, and they for you,
is in direct proportion to how much love you have for yourself.

If you do and say the things that are consistent with loving yourself, it won't be long before you actually feel positive and loving toward yourself. Love is the
mechanism that activates the very best that is in you, and in the people and situations around you.

STAGES OF LOVE

Love grows and changes. The emotional stuff that brings couples together in the first place is different from the love that emerges five or fifteen
years down the road. Love relationships go through many stages. All are important and none can be by-passed if love is to flourish.

Mature love doesn't come into existence unless the relationship has evolved through earlier stages of attraction, romance, power struggle, acceptance and
attachment.
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