Vulnerability by Intimacy in Love
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In order to explain a central aspect of the claim that love makes the lover vulnerable, the present chapter explores the notion of emotional vulnerability in love and focuses on vulnerability by intimacy, besides briefly touching on vulnerability by sympathy and vulnerability by caring. It is put forward that vulnerability by intimacy and vulnerability by caring are necessary features of love, whereas vulnerability by sympathy is not. Vulnerability by intimacy, then, is explained as being based on the intimacy that is characteristic of love and loving relationships. It is suggested that the intimacy of love brings about the vulnerability of the lover in the sense of a disposition to experience emotional harm that only the beloved person as beloved person could cause to the lover. Two particular aspects of intimacy and their links to vulnerability are discussed: intimacy in the sense of shared intimate information, and intimacy in the sense of profound emotions.