Infatuation

Infatuation refers to being "in love" or intensely love smitten, with possible connotations of youth, irrationality, foolishness, or capriciousness. An individual may be considered infatuated with a person they do not know well yet, or whom others view as unsuitable. In the triangular theory of love, "infatuation" refers to romantic passion in the absence of intimacy or commitment, as in love at first sight and limerence. Infatuation might also be compared to the "honeymoon phase" of a relationship. Psychologist Frank D. Cox said that infatuation could be distinguished from romantic love only when looking back on a particular case of being attracted to a person but which may also evolve into a mature love. Goldstein and Brandon describe infatuation as the first stage of a relationship before developing into a mature intimacy. Ian Kerner, a sex therapist, stated that infatuation usually occurred at the beginning of relationships, which is "marked by a sense of excitement and euphoria, and it's often accompanied by lust and a feeling of newness and rapid expansion with a person". The psychoanalyst Adam Phillips has described how illusions that occurred during infatuation resulted in disappointment when learning the truth about a lover. Adolescents often make people an object of extravagant, short-lived passion or temporary love.