Infatuation, often associated with youth (especially young adolescents), describes an individual’s feeling of deep passion and romantic attachment toward another. Whereas true love is built on a complete understanding of another person (including strengths and weaknesses), infatuation comes from an idealization of that person.
Infatuation is generally in the context of teenage or adolescence. There is generally no age associated with love. Anyone can be in love at any age, but most love stories before the age of 20 are considered infatuation or “puppy love”. Hormonal changes, triggered by brain and body developments, are strongly implicated in the intense feelings of sexual attraction and falling in love.
Infatuation throws your priorities out of whack because there’s a feeling of urgency as if your relationship will vanish into thin air if you turn away. You might blow off friends, family, and school responsibilities, feeling that time with the object of your infatuation is more valuable. Infatuation causes insomnia, cravings,ย loss of appetite, forgetfulness, exhaustion, or even stomach issues.
Symptoms of infatuation include constantly thinking about the person, You haven’t had that many real interactions or deep conversations with each other yet, yet you already have strong feelings for them, You feel like this person is basically perfect, or the “ideal” partner,ย Seeing and Expecting Perfection. Infatuation leads one to believe one has found the โperfectโ person as well as the โperfectโ relationship, One has Persistent and Intrusive Thoughts, oneย Drop Everything for Them,ย Jealousy and Possessiveness comes in then one Feel Tired and Alone.
You feel vaguely “obsessed” with this person, You’re very physically attracted to this person, and it can sometimes distract you from exploring other facets of this person,You don’t know the person that well on an actual personal level, Most of what you know about the person is surface level, based on appearance, or based on their behavior in a group setting.
Signs of infatuation:
You’re constantly thinking about this person, You haven’t had that many real interactions or deep conversations with each other yet, yet you already have strong feelings for them, You feel like this person is basically perfect, or the “ideal” partner, Most of what you know about this person is the same stuff that any acquaintance might know about them, Most of what you know about the person is from hearsay or social media, not from actual conversations or experiences you’ve had with each other.
You fantasize about this person, despite not knowing them on a personal level yet, You feel a little disappointed when the person doesn’t meet your expectations, or you shrug it off as just a fluke, You ignore early signs of incompatibility that go against your fantasy, You’re very concerned about impressing this person and having them see you in a positive light, You are overjoyed by the idea of “having” this person or being “chosen” by them, You’re forming strong feelings for this person very quicklyโalmost as if you knew instantly, Everything is moving super quickly, and you’re hitting (or wanting to hit) relationship milestones as fast as possible.
Infatuation vs. love.
Whereas infatuation tends to happen very quickly and involves a strong attraction, love is a much deeper experience of knowing someone fully, feeling bonded and close to them, and caring about them in a way that’s both enduring and not centered around how they make you feel. Love is more than just a feeling,. “It requires some knowledge about the person and being able to love despite knowing that their loved one is flawed and imperfect. Love is not self-serving but the willingness to sacrifice and/or compromise.”
Risks of infatuation and adolescent romantic relationships include : Abuse: Adolescents in dating relationships are at great risk for experiencing verbal, emotional, and physical abuse from their partners, STDs and Premature Pregnancy, Acceptance of unhealthy relationships, trauma, they might develop an unhealthy self-image and lose self-esteem if they blame themselves for the break-up and many more.
