The Michelangelo Effect

 Dr. Husen reads: 

Finkel, E. J. (2019). Complementing the sculpting metaphor: Reflections on how relationship partners elicit the best or the worst in each other. Review of General Psychology, 23, 127–132

“To the extent that we adopt the “love is a collaborative work” of art metaphor rather than one of the conventional metaphors, we think about love in a fundamentally different way. For example, whereas the “love as a physical force” and the “love is madness” metaphors cast lovers in a passive role in which they are subject to physical or psychological forces beyond their control, the “love is a collaborative work of art” metaphor casts lovers in an active role in which they are part of a deliberate, shared effort to create a unique work of beauty. In doing so, the new metaphor does what all metaphors do—it highlights some features while obscuring others, influencing how we think, feel, and behave. A partner who is a good fit (and a potential marriage partner) from a “love is a physical force” perspective might be a poor fit (and a potential breakup target) from a “love is a collaborative work of art” perspective.” (p. 129)


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