hello hello once again abigail! i was out for vacation and missed quite some of your posts but i am here now! Let's get started cause the topic is quite interesting especially for me that i like observing different kind of mindsets.
‘passionate’ and ‘companionate’
Wow I didn't think psychologists use this categories for love, i use similar ones on my own but with a bit different interpretation. The first one the passionate , i call it blindly in love and the companionate one i named it logical one Let me explain now how i think of it a bit deeper, i warn you though it will be another huge comment :P
Blindly In love (passionate) is what i consider short term relationship. That means that one or both of the people included don't use their brain at all and "follow their hearts" That results in some great very passionate moments of their lives but temporary ones cause time changes everything and you may hear arguments like "i am getting bored" "you are not as you used to be" "we don't have fun anymore" "i found someone else that make me happy"
The companionate one again in my mind is when people start using some logic on it and don't go yolo to everything. That means that they choose a person for a long-relationship that had tested out before by just talking and making long conversation in order to learn a little bit about their lives. Also they talk with that person for every issue they have and try to solve it together.
The key is what i call understanding and trust. That means that both the male and female must understand that everything changes and nothing can be the same as the time passes. It won't be like the first day they met cause probably after a while they will have learn everything about each other, and they won't have many new topics to start talking about. Also it's possible that there will be a day routine cause of their job, sharing the same house or having kids. There both the man and the woman should have patient and understanding of the whole situation and always remember what they love about the person they chose to spend that much time together. (That doesn't mean that both of them should stop trying to make a nice surprise or showing their love and affection for each other)
About the ''i love you" sentence that everyone thinks of it as a big deal is bullshit. It's because of those fairy-tails and millions of tv series and movies that we have the illusion on making these 3 words equal life or death, heaver or hell situations. It's a bunch of words that show affection towards the person that you are with nothing more nothing less, and it's really easy for someone to notice if the person saying that to them means it or not.
Finally, i will use some real examples based on what i am witnessing watching people of my age and their relationships. ( for some reason everyone is very open with me and always share their stories even if they not know me that well :P)
Most of people that are 20-28 that are in university or doing a master's degree face the same and same problem all over again. Their relationships don't last, and the main "argument" is "i am bored".
That happens because at the start of the relationships most of them were just students but later on an internship, or in general a part time job took place. That means that they won't spent so much time or travel around, be everyday till the morning out etc etc cause they have responsibilities now. There it is, the number 1 break up issue, Never understand the other side and only think about themselves call it immaturity of age or maybe passionate love at the beginning or simply stupidity :P