shiverypeaks

For a recent review of self-expansion theory, see Emery et al. (2025) . Emery et al. (2025): Relationships ... are one of the key routes through which people can experience self-expansion. Most directly, people can expand their sense of self to include aspects of their romantic partner in their own self-concept (typically referred to as inclusion of other in the self , or IOS ). Aron & Aron (1986, pp. 42, 45): 'In general, reward approaches simply point out that we will be attracted to persons who provide rewards or from whom we expect to receive them (Byrne, 1971), or even to persons accidentally associated with rewarding experiences (Aron, 1970; Lott & Lott, 1974). [...] We would suggest that a "reward" is whatever creates expansion of the self.' For context on limerence/Jung connection by other authors: Why You’re Always Thinking of Someone Limerence As A Doorway To The Shadow What is stated by those authors is in fact stated plainly by the Arons in their o...

Tristan and Iseult  (or Isolde) is a medieval romance story, considered "the quintissential courtly romance" ( Love Sick , p. 97). Tristan is raised by his uncle, King Mark of Cornwall, and it falls upon him to escort King Mark's bride-to-be, the beautiful Princess Isolde, from her home in Ireland to the king's castle. While crossing the Irish Sea, they both mistakenly drink a love potion, and subsequently fall in love. The love potion - a potent symbol of love's madness - neatly excuses Tristan's betrayal of his uncle. In Gottfried's version, the bemused Tristan complains: "I do not know what has come over poor Isolde and me, but we have both of us gone mad in the briefest space of time, with unimaginable torment - we are dying of love . . ." Tristan and Isolde (against their better judgement) become clandestine lovers and, in doing so, stir the gods of tragedy. Much of the ensuing drama concerns their attempts to avoid discovery, and eventually...