Obsessive Love

Mental Health Training

Obsessive love can be described as an intense and overwhelming feeling of love towards someone, which can lead to controlling behaviour and possessiveness. It often involves an unhealthy attachment to the other person and can have negative consequences for both the lover and the loved one.

Idolatry, infatuation, and erotomania are terms used to describe different types of intense feelings or obsessions towards someone or something.

Here’s a brief explanation of each:

1. Idolatry: Idolatry refers to the worship or excessive admiration of an idol or deity. It is often associated with religious or spiritual beliefs and involves the belief that the idol or deity is sacred and deserving of devotion. In this context, idolatry can include rituals, prayers, or offering sacrifices to the idol or deity.

2. Infatuation: Infatuation is an intense and often short-lived passion or attraction towards someone or something. Intense and overwhelming feelings of affection, desire, or fascination characterise it. Infatuation can be based on physical appearance, superficial qualities, or idealized perceptions of the person or object of infatuation. It is typically not rooted in deep emotional connection or long-term commitment.

3. Erotomania: Erotomania is a rare psychological disorder characterised by an individual’s delusion of another person, often of higher social status, being deeply in love with them. Individuals experiencing erotomania firmly believe that their love interest is reciprocating their feelings despite little or no evidence. This condition is also known as De Clerambault’s syndrome and can lead to obsessive thoughts, stalking behaviours, or even harassment of the perceived love interest.

In summary, idolatry relates to worship or excessive admiration of a sacred object or deity; infatuation refers to intense but often short-lived passion or attraction towards someone or something, and erotomania is a delusional belief that another person is deeply in love with the individual experiencing the condition.

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