How Is Love Recognised? A Theoretical Model of Love Confirmation Mechanisms in Romantic Relationships
Abstract
This theoretical study develops a comprehensive model of the Love Confirmation Mechanism (LCM) to explain how individuals in romantic relationships perceive, interpret, and confirm expressions of love. Integrating six foundational psychological theories—Sternberg’s Triangular Theory, Aron’s Self-Expansion Model, Attribution Theory, Emotional Validation Theory, Attachment Theory, and Expectation Confirmation Theory—the model delineates a four-module process: (1) love expression, (2) individual perceptual structure, (3) interpretive attribution, and (4) confirmation judgement and relational outcomes. Special attention is given to gender-based perceptual filters, revealing how men and women may differentially interpret verbal, behavioral, and non-verbal signals of love. This gendered lens underscores the role of expressive alignment in minimizing “confirmation gaps” and enhancing relationship satisfaction. The model has theoretical and practical significance for understanding emotional cognition in intimate dynamics, offering new directions for relationship counseling, communication education, and psychological research.
Keywords:
love confirmation, romantic relationships, gender differences, emotional perception, attribution, psychological modelCopyright Notice & License:
All articles published in Journal of Law, Psychology, and Communication Studies are licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).
This license permits:
-
Unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium;
-
Commercial and non-commercial use;
-
Adaptation and transformation, including derivative works;
provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and source, and a link to the license is included.
Authors retain full copyright of their work and grant the journal the right of first publication.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
PDF Downloads
Journal Info
How to Cite
References
BetterHelp. (2025a). Are you in a situationship? Dealing with romantic ambiguity. https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/general/are-you-in-a-situationship-dealing-with-romantic-ambiguity/
BetterHelp. (2025b). The art of love languages: How words of affirmation can strengthen relationships. https://www.betterhelp.com/advice/love/the-art-of-love-languages-how-words-of-affirmation-can-strengthen-relationships/
Biores Scientia. (2025). Relationship between sense of security and views on love and marriage among undergraduates: Mediating role of adult attachment. https://bioresscientia.com/article/relationship-between-sense-of-security-and-views-on-love-and-marriage-among-undergraduates-mediating-role-of-adult-attachment
EBSCO. (2025). Triangular theory of love. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/psychology/triangular-theory-love
Harvard Medical School. (2025). Love and the brain. https://hms.harvard.edu/news-events/publications-archive/brain/love-brain
Harlow, H. (n.d.). Harry Harlow and the nature of love and affection. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/harry-harlow-and-the-nature-of-love-2795255
Holding Hope MFT. (2025). Validation in relationships: The secret to greater trust and emotional connection. https://holdinghopemft.com/validation-in-relationships-the-secret-weapon-of-happy-couples/
Hofstra University. (n.d.). Triangular theory of love [PDF]. https://www.hofstra.edu/pdf/community/slzctr/stdcsl/stdcsl_triangular.pdf
InK@SMU. (2025). How and when do attributions affect relationship outcomes. https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1042&context=etd_coll_all
IJIP. (2015). Role of love in relationship satisfaction. https://ijip.in/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/C03101V3I12015.pdf
JKL Therapy Centre. (2025). The psychology of love: Theories and perspectives. https://www.jkltherapycentre.com/articles/gx62vnz5x4ore9s5wcz2kmuy2fnl4d
KU News. (2015). Research defines more behaviors that reveal romantic attraction. https://news.ku.edu/news/article/2015/02/12/just-time-valentines-day-research-defines-more-behaviors-reveal-romantic-attraction
Livescience. (2025). How to tell you're in love with someone, according to science. https://www.livescience.com/33720-14-scientifically-proven-signs-love.html
Marriage Pact. (2025). When two become one: The self-expansion theory of love. https://marriagepact.com/stories/when-two-become-one-the-self-expansion-theory-of-love
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. (2025). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs
Medical News Today. (2025). Maslow's hierarchy of needs pyramid: Uses and criticism. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/maslows-hierarchy-of-needs
MindForest. (2025). 5 phases of courtship in psychology: Non-verbal cues of attraction. https://mindforest.ai/post/courtship-in-psychology-non-verbal-cues-of-attraction
Moore, D. (1986). A triangular theory of love [PDF]. Pitzer College. http://pzacad.pitzer.edu/~dmoore/psych199/1986_sternberg_trianglelove.pdf
Neliti. (2025). Decoding love signs: The role of perceived relational red flags in mate selection criteria among Filipino young adults. https://media.neliti.com/media/publications/591027-decoding-love-signs-the-role-of-perceive-ea6dcc59.pdf
Northwestern Medicine. (2025). The science of love: What's happening in your body. https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/emotional-health/the-science-of-love
OpenAI. (2025). Exploring the psychology of love. University of Essex Online. https://online.essex.ac.uk/blog/exploring-psychology-love/
PCOM. (2025). Romantic beliefs and their effect on relationship satisfaction [Doctoral dissertation]. https://digitalcommons.pcom.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1664&context=psychology_dissertations
PMC. (2009). What's love got to do with it?: Social functioning, perceived health, and daily happiness in married octogenarians. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2896234/
PMC. (2015). The effects of romantic love on mentalizing abilities. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4496461/
PMC. (2021). Impact of expectation violation on relationship satisfaction across contexts. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8660929/
Princeton University. (2025). Romantic relationships. Open Publishing. https://openpublishing.princeton.edu/read/romantic-relationships
PsyPost. (2025). The psychology of love: 10 groundbreaking insights into the science of relationships. https://www.psypost.org/the-psychology-of-love-10-groundbreaking-insights-into-the-science-of-relationships/
Psychology Today. (2025). Strengthening relationships through emotional validation. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/your-emotional-meter/202503/strengthening-relationships-through-emotional-validation
Reddit. (2025, June 21). Study provides evidence that romantic love is highly valued worldwide when people consider long term relationships [Online forum post]. r/psychology. https://www.reddit.com/r/psychology/comments/1ihh5eb/study_provides_evidence_that_romantic_love_is/
ResearchGate. (2025). A qualitative analysis of on-again/off-again romantic relationships: "It's up and down, all around". https://www.researchgate.net/publication/258189549_A_qualitative_analysis_of_on-againoff-again_romantic_relationships_It's_up_and_down_all_around
ResearchGate. (2025). Decoding love signs: The role of perceived relational red flags in mate selection criteria among Filipino young adults [PDF]. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/391851037_Decoding_love_signs_The_role_of_perceived_relational_red_flags_in_mate_selection_criteria_among_Filipino_young_adults
ResearchGate. (2025). What makes people feel loved? An exploratory study on core elements of love across family, romantic, and friend relationships [PDF]. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369386839_What_makes_people_feel_loved_An_exploratory_study_on_core_elements_of_love_across_family_romantic_and_friend_relationships
Scribbr. (2025). Inductive vs. deductive research approach: Steps & examples. https://www.scribbr.com/methodology/inductive-deductive-reasoning/
Society for Psychotherapy. (n.d.). Cultural influences and heteronormativity on experiences in romantic relationships. https://societyforpsychotherapy.org/cultural-influences-and-heteronormativity-on-experiences-in-romantic-relationships/
Sternberg, R. J. (1986). A triangular theory of love. https://pzacad.pitzer.edu/~dmoore/psych199/1986_sternberg_trianglelove.pdf
Students.ouhsc.edu. (2025). Attachment styles and their impact on adult relationships. https://students.ouhsc.edu/news/articles/attachment-styles-and-their-impact-on-adult-relationships
University of Minnesota. (2025). Let's get serious: Communicating commitment in romantic relationships. https://assets.csom.umn.edu/assets/165677.pdf
University of Pretoria. (2025). Chapter 6: The methodological framework – Role of models in theory construction. https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstreams/1b387c16-00ca-496a-82b2-b42880d9d86e/download
Verywell Mind. (2025a). Do you know what love really is?. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-love-2795343
Verywell Mind. (2025b). How words of affirmation can enhance your relationship. https://www.verywellmind.com/words-of-affirmation-4783539
Verywell Mind. (2025c). The power of emotional validation in building stronger relationships. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-emotional-validation-425336
Verywell Mind. (2025d). 5 theories about the psychology of love. https://www.verywellmind.com/theories-of-love-2795341
WikiHow. (2025). 140+ fun & deep hypothetical questions for couples. https://www.wikihow.com/Hypothetical-Questions-for-Couples
The Knot. (2025). 48 hypothetical questions for couples looking to deepen their connection. https://www.theknot.com/content/hypothetical-questions-for-couples
HPRC. (2025). Strengthen your relationships with validation. https://www.hprc-online.org/social-fitness/relationship-building/strengthen-your-relationships-validation
PNAS. (2007). Algorithm for model validation: Theory and applications. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0611677104
BYU Scholars Archive. (2025). Love unveiled: Teenage love within the context of Sternberg's triangular theory. https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=&httpsredir=1&article=1082&context=intuition
Oxford Research Encyclopedia. (2025). Cross-cultural romantic relationships. https://oxfordre.com/communication/display/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228613.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228613-e-160
SPSP. (2025). Expect and you shall perceive. https://spsp.org/news/character-and-context-blog/khera-relationship-expectations-perception
Psychosexual.com. (2025). The psychology of love: Theories and perspectives. https://www.jkltherapycentre.com/articles/gx62vnz5x4ore9s5wcz2kmuy2fnl4d
ResearchGate. (2025). Research on the role of attachment style on the dynamics of romantic relationships. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/387809955_Research_on_the_Role_of_Attachment_Style_on_the_Dynamics_of_Romantic_Relationship
Apeejay News. (2025). The self-expansion model theory: Understanding growth through relationships. https://apeejay.news/the-self-expansion-model-theory-understanding-growth-through-relationships/
HPRC-online.org. (2025). Strengthen your relationships with validation. https://www.hprc-online.org/social-fitness/relationship-building/strengthen-your-relationships-validation
APA. (2025). What happens in your brain when you're in love?. https://www.apa.org/topics/marriage-relationships/brain-on-love
Verywell Mind. (2025e). The science of love. https://www.verywellmind.com/the-science-of-love-2795343
PsychCentral. (2025). Attribution theory—And why your relationships hinge on it. https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/beyond-school-walls/202403/attribution-theory-and-why-your-relationships-hinge-on-it
IFStudies.org. (2025). Motivated ambiguity in today's dating scene. https://ifstudies.org/blog/motivated-ambiguity-in-todays-dating-scene
EOHT.info. (2025). Love thought experiment. https://www.eoht.info/page/Love%20thought%20experiment
Biores Scientia. (2025). Relationship between sense of security and views on love and marriage among undergraduates: Mediating role of adult attachment. https://bioresscientia.com/uploads/articles/1708522695Galley_Proof-Relationship_between_Sense_of_Security.pdf
