Storge

Hide and Seek (1873), by Berthe Morisot

Storge (/ˈstɔːrɡi/ STOR-ghee; from Ancient Greek στοργή (storgḗ) 'love, affection'), refers to natural or instinctual affection, such as the love between parents and their children. In Ancient Greece, storge was also used to describe a pet's feelings towards its owner.

Only rarely, storge (and the verb stérgō) was used in Ancient Greek contexts referring to sexual love, for a certain effect. For example, Marcus Argentarius once wrote "This is not erôs [...]; but when one has seen an ill-favored girl [...] and cherishes [stergei] her, aflame from within his mad breast."—evoking a more homely feeling towards the unattractive girl than eros, but then insinuating that such a feeling would be insanity.

The term storge was revived in English by the modern author C. S. Lewis, who refers to it in his 1960 book The Four Loves as equivalent to his concept of affection.

Use in psychology

The word was borrowed by the Canadian sociologist John Alan Lee for his storge love style (a type of love story). The storge love style begins with friendship, growing only more gradually into a committed relationship. Such love might occur between childhood neighbors, or longtime school friends. It is possible, however, for a storgic relationship to occur between strangers if they share a similar background, and the quality of experience is right as the relationship develops. Storgic love comes naturally with time and the mutual enjoyment of shared activities, as one grows accustomed to another.

Storge has also been compared to the concept of companionate love, which the researcher Elaine Hatfield defines as "the affection we feel for those with whom our lives are deeply entwined". According to earlier theories, companionate love was said to be mainly a feature of the later stage of an intimate relationship, after initial romance or passionate love feelings (eros) subside; however, research has suggested that companionate love may actually be important (or present) in the early stages of a relationship too.

Lee's storge love style has also been related as a form of companionate love.

A meta-analytic factor analysis, however, found that companionate love (meaning intimacy and commitment, using the triangular theory of love) could be distinguished from the storge love attitude (labeled "practical friendship" by the study author).

See also

Wiktionary logo The dictionary definition of storge at Wiktionary

References

  1. 1 2 "storge". Collins English Dictionary. HarperCollins. OCLC 1120411289.
  2. ↑ Hooper 1996, pp. 369–370
  3. 1 2 Lewis 2017, p. 41: "The Greeks called this love storge (two syllables and the g is 'hard'). I shall here call it simply Affection. My Greek Lexicon defines storge as 'affection, especially of parents to offspring'; but also of offspring to parents. And that, I have no doubt is the original form of the thing as well as the central meaning of the word."
  4. 1 2 Lee 1973, p. 16: "Storge: This Greek term (it rhymes with more gay) was revived in modern times by the English author C. S. Lewis to describe a natural affection of the kind which one may feel for a close brother or sister."
  5. ↑ Bodson, Liliane (21 July 2005) [2000]. "Motivations for pet-keeping in Ancient Greece and Rome: a preliminary survey". In Podberscek, Anthony L.; Paul, Elizabeth S.; Serpell, James A. (eds.). Companion Animals and Us: Exploring the Relationships Between People and Pets (reprint, revised ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 35. ISBN 9780521017718. Retrieved 17 March 2025. [...] the feelings identified by the owner in his or her animal were called storge. This term, literally 'affection', acquired the meaning 'filial' or 'brotherly affection' when applied to children (and 'parental affection' if applied to parents). In the context of pet-keeping, it compared the animals' attitudes towards their masters to the affection either of children towards their parents, or of sisters and brothers towards each other.
  6. ↑ Konstan, David (2015-10-05). "Affect and Emotion in Greek Literature". In Oxford Handbooks Editorial Board (ed.). Oxford Handbook Topics in Classical Studies (1 ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199935390.013.41. ISBN 978-0-19-993539-0. Retrieved 2026-09-29.
  7. ↑ Lee 1977, pp. 5, 9
  8. ↑ Lee 1988, pp. 43–44, 56–57
  9. 1 2 3 Lee 1973, pp. 77–81, 85–86
  10. ↑ Lee 1988, pp. 43–44, 50
  11. ↑ Lee 1998, pp. 35–38
  12. 1 2 Berscheid, Ellen (2010). "Love in the Fourth Dimension". Annual Review of Psychology. 61: 1–25. doi:10.1146/annurev.psych.093008.100318. PMID 19575626.
  13. 1 2 3 Hatfield, Elaine (1988). "Passionate and Companionate Love". In Sternberg, Robert (ed.). The Psychology of Love. Yale University Press. pp. 191–217. ISBN 978-0-300-04589-5. Archived from the original on 2024-05-25. Retrieved 2024-05-16.
  14. ↑ Hatfield & Walster 1985, p. 9
  15. ↑ Hendrick, Susan S.; Hendrick, Clyde (August 1993). "Lovers as Friends". Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 10 (3): 459–466. doi:10.1177/0265407593103011.
  16. ↑ Lee 1973, pp. 80, 168
  17. ↑ Lee 1977, p. 9
  18. ↑ Hatfield & Walster 1985, p. 38
  19. ↑ Graham, James (29 December 2010). "Measuring love in romantic relationships: A meta-analysis". Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. 28 (6): 748–771. doi:10.1177/0265407510389126.

Sources