Final answer:
The answer to the student's question is C. passionate love. Hatfield defines this as the feeling of intense longing for union with another. Romantic love, as identified in Sternberg's triangular theory of love, is specified by having passion and intimacy but lacking commitment.
Step-by-step explanation:
Hatfield defines passionate love as a state of intense longing for union with another. Among the options provided (A. attraction anxiety, B. commitment, C. passionate love, and D. intimate attraction), the correct answer is C. passionate love.
According to the triangular theory of love by Sternberg, there are different components and types of love. Romantic love is one of these types, which is defined by having both passion and intimacy but no commitment. Consummate love, on the other hand, is a type of love occurring when all three components—intimacy, passion, and commitment—are present. This contrast helps in understanding the specificity of passionate love as defined by Hatfield.
Other examples of love types mentioned by Sternberg include infatuation, which is passion without intimacy or commitment, and companionate love, which consists of intimacy and commitment but lacks passion. This framework can help individuals to identify and categorize the relationships in their lives according to these components of love.