Hatfield and Walster's (1981)
Three-Factor Theory suggests that in order for an individual to
fall in love, one must be:
- From a cultural background in which we learn about love and expects it to happen.
- In the presence of an "appropriate" love object (in terms of gender, age, attractiveness, etc).
- Physiologically aroused. This is interpreted an labelled as "love" or "attraction".
In other words what Hatfield and
Walster is stating is that:
Love-Oriented Culture + Love Object + Arousal = Love