The Evaluation of Love

Abstract

In the present paper we tried to obtain a brief, reliable, and valid theoretically based instrument to assess love dimensions within the area of intimate interpersonal relationships. To achieve this, preliminary scales were created based on Sternberg's three-factor model ( Sternberg, 1986 ) and its further refined four-factor model ( Yela, 1996 ). These scales were applied to a sample of 412 people. The results of the factor analysis suggest the appropriateness of using a short version of the preliminary scales (with just five items for each factor). The remaining data obtained from the analysis suggest that the simplified scales show similar psychometric strength to the long preliminary scales. This could be interesting for both basic research and for a potentially applied use.