Love vs. infatuation, what’s the difference?

As you can imagine, it’s not uncommon for someone to seek therapy when they begin an extramarital affair.  Sometimes long-term marriages and relationships are seen as nothing more than an impediment to this wonderful romantic opportunity, “Doc, I’m in love! For the first time in years I feel alive. She (he) is perfect…everything I’ve been looking for all my life.” As the marital reality wilts, the infatuated romance blossoms. There’s a recklessness to infatuations, an impulsivity demanding an all-or-nothing solution like running off into the sunset and never looking back–family, friends, children, be damned.

Can an infatuation be considered love?

I wrote this ARTICLE in an attempt to clarify the difference.