When you think of your life long partner, do you think of the word love? Most people do. Of course, some of those relationships started out with lust, or even with an infatuation. So when you meet someone that catches your eye, how do you know if it’s love, or if it’s lust, or if it’s infatuation? Another way of looking at this is questioning whether how to build a solid relationship can be built on lust or an infatuation. Love is generally understood as being unconditional in nature.

Love is everlasting and pure. It is what we strive for. Lust on the other hand desires someone sexually. So of course it is possible to lust for someone that you love. But you can also lust for someone that you don’t love. The truth is that you do not have to have any feelings of affection at all for the person to lust after them. So what is an infatuation? There are probably lots of technical definitions but the simple meaning of the word is a very strong, passionate feeling for someone

Infatuation perhaps is easier to understand when the term ‘puppy love’ is used as an equal interchange. Young people, particularly teenagers are notorious for feelings of infatuation. They can sometimes easily move from one relationship to another, believing that they are in love with each partner, but only for a short period of time. This is not to say that infatuation is limited only to teens because adults can often become infatuated as well.

Now think about how you would feel about this person if his/her looks would suddenly change drastically. If that changes the way you feel about them then your feelings are more than likely based on lust or infatuation. Finally, think about how this person makes you feel. Ideally, the person you love will make you feel loved, a sense of trust, and feelings of security. If you immediately think of negative emotions in connection with this person then your feelings for him are probably not love