Monday Mood: Affection

Today's Monday Mood is a variation on the theme of Love. Affection is a type of love that amounts to more than friendship. Whereas love can cover possessions, pets, friends, family, and so on, affection is pertaining to how one would feel about another human being in a generally non-sensual way (sensual affection is more akin to passion).

Psychologists have split opinions on measuring affection. Some feel that it can be divided into two groups (pleasure and displeasure). This measure of affection is defective in that it doesn't take into account the degree of affection one can feel for different pleasures. Others divide it into three groups of related positive and negatives (pleasure and displeasure, tension and relaxation, excitement and depression). Henry Murray, an American psychologist, developed a list of five affection needs that unconsciously play a major role in personality development. His list was: affiliation, nurturance, play, rejection, and succorance (I had to look that one up... it means being helped or protected by others).

Pet names are a simple example of affection. My parents still call me "Sis" instead of using my name. Using the terms "babe" or "sweetheart" for a lover is a pet name. Going vastly beyond how a parent may feel affection for their child, we have PDA. Kids are regularly reprimanded in US schools for Public Display of Affection (PDA) such as holding hands, hugging, and kissing. Such PDA is also common in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and Europe. However, in Latin America, teenagers take PDA a lot further in public parks (kissing, petting, and even oral sex in full view of other park patrons with multiple partners). In South Africa, PDA is illegal for anyone under 16. In India, they still uphold a strict no PDA law from the 1800's to this day that can result in jail time or fines. In Pakistan, PDA is a criminal offence and anyone caught must submit their marriage certificate for a reduced sentence or face criminal prosecution.

Do you have a unique pet name that you use for your child or lover? I've heard some weird ones but I'd love to hear more. Let me hear it in the comments below.

Love is love, no matter the back story. <3 DS