Social Work Practice

Based on the reading All About Love Chapters 1 and 2, discuss the following questions:
How do you understand Bell Hooks definition of Love and her delineation of love as a verb rather than a noun?
How is your definition of love similar to Hooks? How does it differ?
How did you come to your definition of love?
Hooks talks about childhood and how, based on her definition of Love as an action, there are many contradictions in our experience of love in our families. She points out that parents (or the equivalent) say they love us then act in ways that do not necessarily reflect what they say. Actions that can be hurtful, demeaning and shameful. What are your thoughts about this? How do you think these contradictions might effect an individual’s development?

HERE IS A FELLOW CLASEMATES RESPONSE FOR YOU TO USE AS A GUIDE ( DO NOT COPY OR PARAPHRASE THEIR ANSWERS)
I understand Bell Hook’s definition as a clarification that love is not merely the feeling of infatuation we get when we are physically attracted to someone. It is also not merely the affection we show to a family member that we deeply care about or who is an important part of our lives. Love must also entail certain actions that demonstrate how willing we are to improve the lives of the people whom are important to us. We must show that we are willing to go out of our ways to help and support someone and also contribute to their spiritual growth as Bell Hook explains in the Chapter 1.
My definition is similar to Bell Hook’s in that I agree that love must center around action and not merely feelings and emotions. I would expand upon her definition by adding that with regards to the feelings and emotions component, there is the romantic love that one feels for a boyfriend, girlfriend, husband, or wife, and there is the love that exists between family members and also possibly close friends. While the action part of the definition is arguably the most important, I believe it is also significant to highlight the emotional part and how it can manifest in different ways.
I have come to this definition through my life experience and by analyzing the relationships I have had in my life. For me, making the emotional distinction and defining the kind of love one feels is very important because it can dictate to you how to proceed with a relationship. For example, there have been people I have considered dating whom I had a great personal connection with but I was never romantically attracted to them. For this reason, I never pursued a romantic relationship with them and we remained as friends. I believe it is important to analyze how you feel about a person and act accordingly. Likewise, for friends and family, it is important as Bell Hook says to support them in difficult times and make an effort to contribute to their spiritual growth.
I think they affect an individual’s development tremendously because he or she will not have a good understanding of what love is if their own family who claims to love them does not demonstrate true feelings and actions of love. The individual will either withdraw emotionally and live an isolated life without meaningful connection or they will treat the people close to them inconsistently with how they define the relationship. They might say they love the person but not treat them accordingly because they themselves never learned how to truly convey feelings of love through action.

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