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Love concept

Running Head: love: CONCEPT ANALYSIS

Love: Concept Analysis

Maysa'a Mohammad Hamdan

Jordan University of Science and Technology

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Love concept

Out line:

1. Introduction.

2. Definition.

3. Differentiation of love and other related concept.

4. Antecedent of love.

5. Consequences of love.

6. Implication of love in nursing.

7. References.

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Love concept

Concept Analysis Process:

It is a process to defining, analyzing, and synthesizing the literature to arrive a

Complete or a whole picture and understanding of the concept looks like, causes, and

characteristics. After that how I can apply this concept in the clinical area [15].

Introduction:

Love is one of the most important concepts in the world. It is not a new concept.

There are many stories, poems, real event was happened, and there are many heroes.

this stories was used by our grandmother, fathers, and teachers to give us lessons or to

take the aim to help us in our life and practice such as help others , honest ,

commitment and other meaning that transferred to us because it carry the real

meaning of love. Now love is widely used in the media, literature and art but most of

author point to love as sex [10]. So the significance and importance of this analysis

comes from these conflicting with sex. Because there are many people not enter or

intimate any sexual relationship and this dose not mean they didn’t love before .

I can see love as a magic, incredibly deep emotion that travels with person's life as a

beautiful event most of people may die before feel or live it. Also I can see love as:

1. multidimensional concept

2. safe and hope

3. relational concept ( I and you are essential to


complete I love you )

4. commitment.

5. ability to live

6. Love is endless.

7. Power.

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Love concept

8. Motivation.

My goal is to redefining the love concept, to give more understanding to all aspect of

the concept. what is other concept that may understood as love . And how I can use it

in nursing to support professional, career development, and provide optimal quality of

care.

Definition of love:

According to Oxford Dictionary 1( p. 450) define love as '' a very strong feeling of

affection for subject or something , a strong feeling of interest in or enjoyment of

something , or a thing in which you are very interested '' such as husband loves his

wife, parents love their children; one loves his car.

Cultural and religious views:

God is the source of love in Christian. Which is mean every one must love god

strongly from all heart, and mind. God invite them to love each other, as every body

loves her/his self, to respect others, and to be unselfish. But love between both sexes

(male and female) is derived from Greek culture [2]. Whish classically divide into

Eros (exciting and sexual), agape (altruistic love), and pure love that seeks nothing as

maternal love [3]. AL-Ishq is the word that was used; also it is still used in Arabic

culture which mean love and purity. AL- Hub AL-Othree is another word used

frequently in Arabic stories, pomes …. . In Islam god (Allah) has 99 names. One of

these is AL-Wadud which means fully loving and kindness. Herbrew is a Jewish

ward mean love. It used for both love god, and interpersonal love [2].

Language and art :

There are different ways; signs, icon and symbol represent love. Cupid in ancient

roman culture (Latin) is one of those symbols [10]. Which is mean god of love .

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Love concept

Heart symbol is a traditional European symbol representing love. But the arrow is to

symbolize the relationship between two persons. In other word it represents the

repercussions of this relationship [2, 10].

Scientific views:

From scientific perspective most scientists have found it impossible to agree on a

single definition [4]. Social scientists like Watson defined love as '' an innate emotion

elicited by cutanenous stimulation of the erogenous zones.''[Fehr 4p.557].

So we can say love is a sensory stimulation. This is what [5] emphasis it when define

love as '' stimulation that is desired by the individual'' and it achieved by contact. Also

it starts in early stage. The earliest one is contact in utero. Then when individual

contact with mother. And it differentiates later to other physical and other symbolic

interaction such as caressing, and hugging…. . So physiological definition for love is

''the emotional bond with a person for whom one yearns, as well as having sensory

stimulation that one desires"[Komisaruk 5 p.927]. Wile behavioral schools say love is

a positive reinforcement [3]. like Swenson definition '' love is behavior such as giving

gifts, sharing activities and disclosing intimate information '', and Rubin definition ''

attitude held toward another which predisposes one to think , feel and act in certain

way toward that person''. But Fromm saw love as "a device used to reduce one's sense

of isolation." [Fehr 4p. 557]. Humanistic theorists concentrate on empathic

understanding, and truth role as Rogers view. While psychoanalytic theorist focused

on true self development [3]. Other scientists in biology and neuroscience said love

depend on hormonal, and biological material. therefore it is a mammalian drive

[ 2,5,6].

Ethically and Historically:

Love as ethics '' divine or the humanity in human beings'' [Erksson 9 p.43, as cited

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from Arman 9 P.8]. Charity was used to mean love historically. It was described

manifestations, characteristics, and state of love during caring other person.

According to that Roach outline nursing as caring [3].

Differentiation;

There are many words in its meaning are very close to love, and sometimes used

rather than it. So it is important to know the differences between those words that

contrasted with love. Some these concepts are: sex, commitment, attachment, passion,

intimacy and attraction.

Sexuality or sex based on hormonal and chemical changes such as testosterone

estrogen, pheromones, dopamine, and norepinephrine. This material explains why

increased heart rate, loss of appetite, and sleep disturbances are occurred [2, 5, 6].

But most people see sex form their view or thinking is love. They concentrate on the

experience it self and they forget the deep meaning behind it. Sexuality may happen

without love, but this experience has a chance to develop and be love. This chance

will help sex to become more nature and inherent. If this happen sexuality will be the

most earthly and primal level of love [10].

Through Stenberg's triangular theory of love commitment is a component of love

along with intimacy and passion. It includes the initial decision that one loves another.

Then the long term commitment is maintain that love [4]. Through this theory

intimacy consists of feeling that causes warmth relationship such as closeness,

contact … . While what refers to drives that lead to sexual activity and physical

romantic attraction form the third component which is passion [4].

[6] Define attachment as selective social or emotional bond. It is a component if not

all of the human love. It can exist in the absence of love, but love never happen

without It., and both of them can lead to reproduction. Also it defines attraction as the

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feeling of interest, pleasure or affection toward someone. It is considered as one of

love characteristics

The opposite concept of love is hate which means feeling of hatred, unpleasant and

dislike towards something /someone [Oxford Dictionary 1 p. 450].

Antecedent of love:

It is the causes, condition that coming before love. Or what perceived and that help

us to expect love occurrence. Many people believe that there is no condition, causes,

explanation or rhythm for love. They believe if there any cause or condition, love will

lose its shiny, specialty, purity, and it will be as other undesirable thing. Also if there

are reasons for love that mean individual maybe love unlovable things as lovable

thing. which mean love become as sale thing [7]. But other people think there are

nothing happens from nothing you maybe fall in love, for many reasons such as

beauty, charity, parenthood, morals, value, smiling, humanistic, justice, and truth.

Also many things characterized, come before and facilitate love [4,2,7] such as:

1. Warmth relationship.

2. Trust , security

3. Jealousy

4. Care

5. Fell relax with other

6. Thinking of no evil ( erases wrong, doesn't keep of wrong done to it )

7. Kindness (active in doing well).

8. Unselfish.

9. Relational concept ( take and give ),

10. Honest, proclaims, feeling free to talk and communicate.

11. Sharing ,openness relationship.

12. Desire someone, something all the time.

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13. Supportiveness.

14. Unconditional.

15. Commitment .

16. Concern for other well-being, and empathy

17. lust, Attraction, and increased heart rate.

18. Charity, and Hope.

19. Increased heart rate, Loss of appetite, Sweating , and Sleep disturbances.

20. Chemical and hormonal changes.

Love measurement:

Love can be measured in the same way as intelligence, self-esteem, and other

psychological concepts by using qualitative and quantitative technique like [8]:

1. Verbal and nonverbal, through observation , conversational analysis.

2. Evaluate feelings and thoughts through self-report: interviews, and


discussion

groups .

3. Through analysis of documents: love letters, personal diaries, popular


songs,

autobiographies, novels, cinema films, TV series, etc. And finally we can

evaluate.

4. Psychophysiological responses of loving behavior using


psychophysiological

measures like heart rate, sexual arousal, cutaneous sweat secretion etc.

5. Reliable, valid questionnaires and scales that built on solid theoretical


bases.

such that used in [11] to compare friendship with love by using five sub-
scales :

1- Viability (trust, respect, acceptance- tolerance).

2- Intimacy (understanding, confiding).

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3- Passion (fascination, exclusiveness, sexual intimacy) .

4- Care (aiding, supporting).

5- Satisfaction (happiness).

6. Empirical studies. Such as studies which investigated the co-relational

relationship between satisfaction and love. measurement did through love

scale built on Rubin, Lee, Hatfield, and Sternberg. This proved through tow

meta-analysis to thirty three empirical studies [12].

Consequences of love:

Love can built a bridge when you walk to cross it you will reach to the bright side

of love, when it applied in all fields as it must. It starts at individual level then spread

to the family, and community. When the person loves her/his self it will help to

prevent harm, and try to built your self, achieve all your dreams. When you provide

love to your family. It will return this love for you, also it will respect, support you

when any problems happens with your friends. Commitment, warmth, safe life,

Caring, satisfaction, security, happiness, strength, marriage, euphoria, and intimacy

will be happen as a result to love [4]. When love become un- healthy and change it

will be lead to anxiety, stress, weakness, hate, unhealthy jealousy, and maybe suicide

[4]. Also the result or consequences as [2,4,5,7] are:

1. Survival.

2. Responsibility.

3. Scary, anxiety

4. Help.

5. Increased in heart rate.

6. Comfort.

7. Understanding.

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Love concept

8. Put other first.

9. Contentment.

10. Social attachment.

11. Increased heart rate, Loss of appetite, Sweating , and Sleep


disturbances

From what my understanding to previous discussion I developed this simple model :

Positive Negative
affective (tone( anxiety
tone( happines)

Social support
( comfort,
Physiological supportiveness
Component(HR) Love

Behavior
Lack of
)helping(
inhibition
Cognitive ( feel relax,
helpin
activities )openness
g
( thinking of
)other

Implication in nursing:

It is a process of defining and identifying, models or examples that related,


contrary,

or on the borderline to illustrate love aspect in nursing.

Many everyday nursing action, caring, and assumption based on love. but often

nurses not explicit that. Love helps nurses to engage in meaningful therapeutic

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relationship. The idea of love using in nurse-patient relationship and explore it as

therapeutic relationship founded in American, Canadian, Australian, and

Scandinavian literatures. It was started in counseling and psychotherapy, then it

transfer to other nursing disciplines or branches as an essential component [3].

Rogers proposed if clients or patients could feel accepted and valued, they could grow

and change, as a result to nursing dealing, and communication with them by empathic

understanding, and unconditional positive regard them. Therefore if unconditional

positive equally love, we can understand that roger remove love term from absolute

vocabulary meaning to therapy world, through considering the meaningless of therapy

without love. A cording to that mutually loving one therapeutically means; fall in love

with clients within therapeutic boundaries. This is called a mature love as formm

called it [3, 9].

Because applying love in nursing is an art. The question that will develop is how to

love? Fromm proposes a framework or what we can call it; general requirement for

practicing love. These are concentration, practice, concern, and activity [3, 9]. With

some accommodation and adaptation to this component we can apply the art of

practicing love in nursing. Need to develop the loving with patient needs in a

discipline way, through commitment and allow our self to touch love feeling in our

work, then the need to reflect theses experiences. This will help the nurse to see and

act within the world differently, which promote nursing self awareness. When the

nurses reflect their practices art of love it will help them to be more concentrate and

don't make mistakes in the next practice. Concentration also will help the nurses to

determine the safe therapeutic boundaries that derived from past experiences, and how

to apply it in the next practicing love with patient [3]. this is what supported by

council for healthcare regulatory excellence (CHRE) in it's document that put clear

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Love concept

boundaries to protect patient against abuse , and to regulate nurse's life to maintain

professional standards [ 13 ]. Through the concern which is mean deal with patient as

a whole, therefore nurse promote healing process by using love in their care as

providing physical care. This will provide genuinely care, which is the core of nursing

activity. While considering that no rapid result in developing when enter it inner

personal philosophy or development is the patient, also this is found in any art

practice [3]. There are many barriers, and reasons may give an explanation why

nurses fear to apply love in their caring or practice. Such as shortage, economic

resources, technology which decrease contact time with the patient (e.g. nurses apply

care by pressing buttons or monitor some waves and digital signal in some area), male

attitude, rewards of loving are invisible, and colleagues fear of threaten when see

other give optimal and creative care. This fear leads them to label practicing love as

weak and unprofessional care [3, 9]. Actual nurse's opinion is the best answer for this

group. From these examples what nurses sent to Colin parish about what their job

means to them. For example Daniel said '' I cherish hands-on care because nothing

replaces the feeling of caring for a patient and waving goodbye to them on their

discharge.'', she said also '' I love it and I really could not see myself doing any other

job. You may never have an inflated salary but if you love the job and work in an

environment that allows you to function, you will be one of the richest people on the

planet.'' Also Emma said '' I love the fact that I can do a lot for a person simply by

relieving pain. I think my job stands for all that is best about humanity. '' But jenny

feeling was '' I like to feel I can make a difference to individual care and act as the

patient’s advocate'' [Parish 14 p. 14].

I see use love correctly in nursing will enhance reputation and image of our

profession. Misconception around the profession will be removed, and dispelled.

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Therefore more respect for the profession and public voice will be changed [14].

I will prove through a model, to present a simple implication for love in nursing.

Model Case:

Amal is 12 year old female child newly diagnosed as leukemia. She was admitted to

the hospital to receive chemotherapy as treatment. At the first dose nurse came to start

it. Her facial expression hasn't any comfortable, smiling, but it mean I want to finish

my work. She didn’t honest. She was informed amal that chemotherapy as other

medication. But amal has many side effects such as nausea, vomiting, and alopecia.

At every time she came to apply any procedure she didn't keep her privacy, and didn't

respect amal or other children. There no warm relationship between her and children.

She always delays in her caring, and complaining of work without concern or respect

children. Amal became more depressed, not contentment to her self and life. She lost

the hope to cure and survive. She became isolated from other children. Refuse to take

medication and always crying. Amal spent until now three weeks in the hospital.

during that Sara who is a new nurse was employment in the same floor that amal

admitted to it. During her work Sara always hears amal crying. So she decides to

receive her case. when she entered the room. She was smiling, with comfortable facial

expression. Sara put her hand on Alma's head and said how are crying while your

name is full of hope. She started to make dollies from gloves, and syringes, to
amal.

Then she started to apply something new in every day for her in discipline way. She

was patient, concern on amal as a whole physiological and psychological. She

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was very careful (concentrate) to fall in mistakes that may harm her as other

done. she appear as supportive , caring, understanding to amal need .she has amal's

trust . Amal was happy with her, waiting Sara to come to speak with her. Sara always

concern on amal well being, respect her questions and answer it honestly so amal with

time start take her medications, has hope to cure, contentment in her condition. After

amal finished her chemotherapy she comes at every clinic visit to see Sara.

At the end I still see love a vast concept, so difficult to collect all human feelings,

and experiences. It helps us to learn, know, and develop. It creates self facing to reach

to the pure, brilliant love that all one want to have it. May be what has been said '' life

is the school and love is the lesson'' [suplee10, p19] prove that.

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Love concept

References:

1- Oxford Word power dictionary. 5th Ed. New York: Warn H. 2002.p
450.
2- Love concept [online]. 2008 [cited 2008 Nove 28]. Available from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love
3- Stickly T, Freshwater D. The art of loving and the therapeutic
relationship. . Nursing Inquiry. 2002; 9 (4): 250–256.
4- Fehr B. Prototype Analysis of the Concepts of Love and Commitment.
JPSP.1998; 55(4): 557- 579.
5- Komisaruk B, Whipple B. LOVE AS SENSORY STIMULATION:
PHYSIOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF ITS DEPRIVATION AND
EXPRESSION. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1998; 23(8): 927-944.
6- Carter C. NEUROENDOCRINE PERSPECTIVES ON SOCIAL
ATTACHMENT AND LOVE. . Psychoneuroendocrinology. 1998; 23(8):
779-818.
7- David C. Why Do You Love? Available on
http:/www.leaderExcel.com.
8- Yela C. The Evaluation of Love. EJPA. 2006; 22(1):21-27.
9- Arman M, Rehnsfeldt A. The Presence of Love in Ethical Caring.
Nursing Forum. 2006; 41(1): 4-12.
10- Suplee A. Could You Be Loved?. Positive Health .2007; 14-19
11- Hendrick C, Hendeich S. Research on Love: Dose it Measure up?
JPSP. 1989; 56(5): 784-794.
12- Masuda M. Meta-analyses of love scales: Do various love scales
measure the same psychological constructs? Japanese Psychological Research.
2003; 45(1):25-37.
13- Cayton H. We are not here to regulate love. Nursing Standard. 2007;
22(4):12-13.
14- Parish C. Why we love to nurse. Nursing Standard. 2004; 18(42): 14-
15.
15- Meleis A. A model for evaluation of theories: Description, Analysis,
Critique, .Testing, and support. Chapter 14.p 245-278. 1997.

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