The theory of six love styles became popular among love scholars in the 1980s. Numerous researchers investigated the love styles proposed and investigated by Canadian sociologist John Alan Lee in the 1970s (Lee, 1973, 1976). His theory and research made significant contributions to this field of study (Karandashev, 2022).
John Lee conceptualized and empirically explored this theory of six love styles. Through years of research and publication, the original author’s descriptions of the six love styles he proposed have been condensed and simplified. These shortened characteristics have replaced Lee’s original interpretations of the love styles. In this and other articles, I have provided a more detailed description of each of these love styles.
I described the Eros, Ludus, Storge, Mania, and Agape love styles. The following excerpts from my books elaborate on the Pragma love style.
Lee’s Theoretical Description of the Pragma Love Style
“Individuals with the Pragma love style deliberately consider how suitable a potential beloved is for their prospective relationship. They look for a compatible match, taking into account the age, religion, education, vocation, and other demographic characteristics of a prospective partner.”
(Excerpt from Karandashev, 2022, p. 78).
This Is What the Pragma Love Style Looks Like
In-depth interviews with 120 participants using the “love story card sort” technique generated around 100,000 data points. The factor analysis found 32 individual characteristics that set apart the six love styles. This analysis allowed to portray the distinctive characteristics of the Pragma love style as follows,
“Participants of the Pragma love style are as manipulative and controlled as Ludus. They also experience companionate feelings like those with the Storge love style. They have not been lucky enough to find a friend with similar interests or a loved one with whom the relationship can grow in love. Therefore, they decide, more or less consciously, to find someone who might be their companion and a suitable partner. They do not wait for an appeal of nature; they build a relationship.
Having in mind the desired qualities of a prospective mate, they look for an opportunity to meet a partner of their choice. In the case of arranged marriages, the parents, rather than an individual, experience the pragmatic love style. In modern times, matchmaking on the Internet does the same work.”
(Excerpt from Karandashev, 2022, 2022, p. 82).
The Pragma Love Style is a Love Type rather than a Variable
This illustrative portrayal demonstrates that the Pragma love style is a complex combination of attitudes and traits that men and women bring to relationships. These features make this love style stand out from other types of love. They represent people’s core beliefs and attitudes towards love, as well as their emotional experiences and expressions, actions, and relationships.
The findings from the interviews indicate that men and women with this love style possess an abundance of distinctive characteristics. The relationship between these characteristics illustrates the typological structure of the Pragma style. This structure clearly demonstrates that the Pragma style of love is not a variable, as measured by the Love Attitude Scale (Hendrick & Hendrick, 1986, 1998), but rather a type of love.