Storge ( ; ), refers to natural or instinctual affection, such as the love between parents and their children.: "The Greeks called this love storge (two syllables and the g is 'hard'). I shall here call it simply Affection. My Greek Lexicon defines storge as 'affection, especially of parents to offspring'; but also of offspring to parents. And that, I have no doubt is the original form of the thing as well as the central meaning of the word.": "Storge: This Greek term (it rhymes with more gay) was revived in modern times by the English author C. S. Lewis to describe a natural affection of the kind which one may feel for a close brother or sister." In Ancient Greece, storge was also used to describe a pet's feelings towards its owner.
Only rarely, storge (and the verb ) was used in Ancient Greek contexts referring to sexual love, for a certain effect. For example, Marcus Argentarius once wrote "This is not erôs [...]; but when one has seen an ill-favored girl [...] and cherishes [stergei] her, aflame from within his mad breast."—evoking a more homely feeling towards the unattractive girl than eros, but then insinuating that such a feeling would be insanity.
The term storge was revived in English by the modern author C. S. Lewis, who refers to it in his 1960 book The Four Loves as equivalent to his concept of affection.
Use in psychology
The word was borrowed by the Canadian sociologist John Alan Lee for his storge love style (a type of love story). The storge love style begins with friendship, growing only more gradually into a committed relationship. Such love might occur between childhood neighbors, or longtime school friends. It is possible, however, for a storgic relationship to occur between strangers if they share a similar background, and the quality of experience is right as the relationship develops. Storgic love comes naturally with time and the mutual enjoyment of shared activities, as one grows accustomed to another.
Storge has also been compared to the concept of companionate love, which the researcher Elaine Hatfield defines as "the affection we feel for those with whom our lives are deeply entwined". According to earlier theories, companionate love was said to be mainly a feature of the later stage of an intimate relationship, after initial romance or passionate love feelings (eros) subside; however, research has suggested that companionate love may actually be important (or present) in the early stages of a relationship too.
Lee's storge love style has also been related as a form of companionate love.
A meta-analytic factor analysis, however, found that companionate love (meaning intimacy and commitment, using the triangular theory of love) could be distinguished from the storge love attitude (labeled "practical friendship" by the study author).
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