Psychology of Love seminar 30h Fall Semester

Marta Irena Porbiak, M.A.

PhD candidate, Department of Child and Family Clinical Psychology, Faculty of
Psychology, University of Warsaw
Scientific assistant at Cancer Centre Institute in Warsaw
2005 - Graduated psychology at University of Warsaw with specialization in Family
and Marriage Therapy and specialization in Support of Personality Development
2009 - Graduated 4-year postgraduate training in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy at
Collegium Medicum, Jagiellonian University, Cracow
marta.porebiak@psych.uw.edu.pl

Course description:
Seminar presents psychological approach to love and romantic relationships from
different perspectives psychodynamic, evolutionary and attachment theory. Mutual
attractiveness (in terms of physical, demographic and personality traits), cultural and
gender factors, and also same-sex couple relationships are described. Seminar focuses
on romantic relationships from falling in love, dating, getting married to experiencing
couple crisis. Dynamics of love relationship are discussed according to Sternbergs
duplex love theory. Disturbances of relationship in Willis collusion theory,
occurrence of adultery and relationship burnout are presented.
After taking this course students should be able to describe love and couple
functioning according to different psychological perspectives.
Requirements: class attendance, test + presentation during classes
Course topics:
1. Introduction to love psychology, selection of students contributions
2. Definitions of love and loving in different cultures
3. Psychodynamic concepts of love
4. Attractiveness and gender differences in attitudes towards love and sexual
relationships
5. Chemistry or personality traits? Factors playing role in opposite-sex attractiveness
6. Love as an attachment process
7. The roots of love
8. Same-sex couples

9. Triangular theory of love

10. Relationship dynamics
11. The threat of intimacy and relationship burnout
12. Stress, adultery and divorce in relationship
13. Marital collusion
14. Final test
15. Final classes course summary, test results

Literature:
Green R. J., Mitchell, V. (2008). Gay and lesbian couples in therapy: Minority stress,
relational ambiguity, and families of choice. In: A. S. Gurmab (ed.), Clinical
handbook of couple therapy, 4th ed., 662 675.
Gordon, K. C., Baucom, D. H., Snyder, D. K., Dixon, L. J. (2008). Couple therapy
and the treatment of affairs. In: A. S. Gurman (ed.), Clinical handbook of
couple therapy, 4th ed., 429-433. New York: The Guilford Press.
Hazan, C. (2003). The essential nature of couple relationships. In: S. M. Johnson and
V. E. Whiffen (eds.), Attachment process in couple and family therapy, 43 63. New York: The Guilford Press.
Lebow, J. (2008). Separation and divorce issues in couple therapy. In: A. S. Gurman
(ed.), Clinical handbook of couple therapy, 4th ed., 459-462. New York: The
Guilford Press.
Lewandowski, G. W., Aron, A., Gee, J. (2007). Personality goes a long way:
Malleability of physical attractiveness. Personal Relationships, 14, 571
585.
Shaver, R. P., Mikulincer, M. (2006). A Behavioral Systems Approach to Romantic
Love Relationships: Attachment, Caregiving and Sex. In: R. J. Sternberg and
K. Weis (ed.), The New Psychology of Love, 35-64. New Heaven: Yale
University Press.

Additional literature:
Bodenmann, G., Ledermann, T., Bradbury, T. N. (2007). Stress, sex, and satisfaction
in marriage. Personal Relationships, 14, 551-569.
Buss, D. (2004). Evolutionary Psychology: The New Science of the Mind. Boston:
Pearson

Fisher, H. (2006). The Drive to Love: The Neural Mechanism for Mate Selection. In:
R. J. Sternberg and K. Weis (ed.), The New Psychology of Love, 87-115.
New Heaven: Yale University Press.
Freud, Z. (1905/1997). My views on the part played by sexuality in the aetiology of
the neuroses In: Z. Freud, Sexuality and Love Psychology, 1-9. New York:
Touchstone Rockefeller Center.
Freud, Z. (1910/1997). A special type of object choice made by men. In: Z. Freud,
Sexuality and Love Psychology, 39-47. New York: Touchstone Rockefeller
Center.
Josephson, G. J. (2003). Using an attachment-based intervention with same-sex
couples. In: S. M. Johnson and V. E. Whiffen (eds.), Attachment process in
couple and family therapy, 300 - 320. New York: The Guilford Press.
Kernberg, O. F. (1998). Love Relations: Normality and Pathology. New Heaven: Yale
University Press.
Mikulincer, M., Shaver, R. P. (2007). Attachment in Adulthood. New York: Guilford
University Press.
Rohner, R. P., Khaleque, A. (Eds.). (2005). Handbook for the study of parental
acceptance and rejection (4th ed.) Storrs, CT: Rohner Research Publications.
Waters, W., Merrick, S., Treboux, D., Crowell, J., Albersheim, L. (2000). Attachment
security in infancy and early adulthood: a twenty-year longitudinal study.
Child Development, 71, 684 -689. Downloaded from:
http://bernard.pitzer.edu/~dmoore/.../Waters_attachment.pdf , 20-05-10.
Willi, J. (1982). Couples in Collusion. New York: Aronson.