World Cultures: Love

Anthropology

The scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, and societies, in both the present and past.

Chastity

The virtue by which people are able to successfully and healthfully integrate their sexuality into life (within the Creational norms outlined in Scripture: sex after marriage between husband and wife); recognized as one of the fruits of the Holy Spirit. Also one of the vows of religious life.

individualistic cultures

culture that focuses on individual achievement and autonomy--their primary responsibility it to themselves

collectivist cultures

cultures in which the self is regarded as embedded in relationships, and harmony with one's group is prized above individual goals and wishes

seduction capital

The theory that we only accumulate objects (clothes, cars, houses) in order to communicate to other people how desirable we are. What we really are saying with our purchases is "you want to be me!"

Helen Fisher

An anthropologist who in 2003 used the Passionate Love Scale and an fMRI to investigate blood flow in the brains of people reporting to be 'madly in love' which supports the thesis presented that romantic love is hard wired into human brains by millions of years of evolution and is designed to enable lovers to mate.

dopamine system

The chemical which when released into the brain leads to feelings of reward. People with high dopamine systems tend to seek out risk, novelty, adventure, are creative and curious and want their partners to have the same desires.

serotonin system

The chemical which when released in the brain generates a personality that tends toward order, structure, planning and stability--they tend to follow rules and respect authority. People with high serotonin levels tend to prefer partners with the same structure.

Testosterone system

the most important of the male sex hormones. Both males and females have it, but the addition of testosterone either gender creates the tendency to be analytical, logical, direct, decisive. They tend to be drawn to the estrogen system.

estrogen system

the most important of the female sex hormones. Both males and females have it, but the addition of estrogen in either gender creates the tendency to have good verbal skills and people skills, who's very intuitive and who's very nurturing and emotionally expressive. They tend to be drawn to the testosterone system.

slow love

Helen Fisher's concept of the prolonged "dating" period that has emerged in the advent of dating websites and apps. People are more thorough in their search for a spouse as the pool of available candidates has increased.

paradox of choice

When too many options are available, especially when all of them are attractive, we experience decision paralysis and regret.

81%

The percentage of people who said they would re-marry the person they are currently married to.

"stable ambiguity"

Esther Perel's notion of people being too scared to be on your own but too scared to be in a deep relationship

97% of people in contemporary romantic relationships want 5 things

1.) They want somebody that respects them, 2.) somebody they can trust and confide in, 3.) somebody who makes them laugh, 4.)somebody who makes enough time for them and 5.)somebody who they find physically attractive

Most people in (Medieval) romantic relationships wanted 3 things

1.) companionship, 2.) economic support, 3.) & children.

Love metaphors in individualistic cultures

Tend to be representative of physical violence or sickness. (falling, struck, heartache, smitten)

storge love

a love style characterized by caring and friendship-usually demonstrated between parent and child

Philia Love

An affection and concern that is demonstrated between friends.

eros love

an erotic, passionate style of love often characterized by short-lived relationships

agape love

an unconditional love for others because they are created in the image of God

Importance of the Trinity (for love)

For God to be love (as repeated in the gospel of John) God needed something/someone to love. Because God exists in three person (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) He has experience perfect love in eternity. Without this understanding God could only BECOME loving once he made creation meaning that God was somehow incomplete in his nature before creation started.

Johnson/Lakoff love metaphor

"a collaborative work of art"

Polygamy

marriage to several people at the same time

Monogamy

the practice of being married to only one person at a time

Polyandry

a form of marriage in which women have more than one husband

Rational Choice Theory

A theory that states that individuals act in their own best interest.

Market Economies

Economic systems where individuals make their own decisions about what to produce, how to produce it, and for whom to produce it.

Gift economies

Economic systems that consist of situations where goods and services are exchanged without an expected or immediate return.

katal

Tamil societies notion of passionate love-the overwhelming sense of intense and dumbfounded longing for another person that we might call "crazy in love" in English.

Anomie

Emile Durkheim's description of the condition in which society provides little guidance and leaves people feeling lost and disconnected. Resulting from the lost traditions of society in the midst of transitioning into the Industrial era.

Passionate Love

The experience involving feelings of euphoria, intimacy, and intense attraction-produced by rush of dopamine, a drop in serotonin, and a rise in cortisol that creates intense desire.

Companionate Love

The love which activates the attachment circuits of the brain. It is oxytocin-rich and induces a loving calm and sense of security.

Worldview

The invisible unconscious attitudes and perspectives a person inherits from differing cultural sources. (Geography, gender, socio-economic status, teachers, parents, etc)

Christian Worldview

Mike Metzger argues they don’t exist because “Christianity” is never used an an adjective and every generation has serious moral blind spots that are only later corrected by subsequent generations.

‘Truncated Gospel’

The shortened or abbreviated gospel that omits ‘creation’ and ‘restoration’ from the 4 part gospel (creation-fall-redemption-restoration) sometimes referred to as “sin management”

The Cultural Mandate

The divine injunction found in Genesis 1:28, in which God, after having created the world and all in it, ascribes to humankind the tasks of filling, subduing, and ruling over the earth--essentially to make culture on the earth.

The Great Commission

the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples to spread the gospel to all the nations of the world in Matt. 28 “Go into all the world and make disciples…, baptize them… and teach them everything I have commanded you.”

provoking sin

a reaction to what is wrong and unjust in the world that leads to engagement--”we need to DO something about this!”

offensive sin

a reaction to what is wrong and unjust in the world that leads to judgement and fleeing. “That is so horrible--I must leave!”