Ambivalence and Uncertainty across Triangular Relationship: A Comparative Study

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to compare ambivalence, self-uncertainty, partner uncertainty, and relational uncertainty between the different types of love by Sternberg's Triangular Model of Love. It was a comparative study. The sample comprised of adolescents (N = 525) further divided into 7 types of love with 75 participants from each love type, including liking, infatuation, empty love, romantic love, companionate love, fatuous love, and consummate love, which used a purposive sampling method. The Triangular Love Scale (Kowal et al., 2023) was administered to bifurcate the adolescents across the types of love. The Inventory of Interpersonal Ambivalence (Siefert & Haggerty, 2019) and the Relational Uncertainty Scale (Solomon & Brisini, 2017) were administered to adolescents on all seven types of love. The data were analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) followed by post hoc comparisons. The study explained that types of triangular love led to the variations in the level of ambivalence and multidimensional uncertainty.