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'Eros' ( ''érōs'') is passionate love, with sensual desire and longing. The Modern Greek word "''erotas''" means "(romantic) love". Plato refined his own definition. Although eros is initially felt for a person, with contemplation it becomes an appreciation of the beauty within that person, or even becomes appreciation of beauty itself. Plato does not talk of physical attraction as a necessary part of love, hence the use of the word platonic to mean, "without physical attraction". Plato also said Eros helps the soul recall knowledge of beauty, and contributes to an understanding of spiritual truth. Lovers and philosophers are all inspired to tell the truth by eros, the god of love. The most famous ancient work on the subject of ''eros'' is Plato's ''Symposium'', which is a discussion among the teachers and students of Socrates on the nature of ''eros''. The term ''erotic'' is derived from ''eros''.
Eros can also be defined as the longing for wholeness or completeness, and is used to describe fulfillment between man/woman and man/Gods. Thomas Jay Oord defines eros as intentional response to promote overall well-being by enhancing or appreciating what is valuable or good.

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Eros and C.G. Jung

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Eros and C.G. Jung

Carl Jung also used the term ''eros'' to denote the basic fundamental of feminine psychology, he said:
“Women’s psychology is founded on the principal of ''eros'', the great binder and loosener, whereas from ancient times the ruling principal ascribed to men is ''logos''. The concept of ''eros'' could be expressed in modern times as psychic relatedness, and that of ''logos'' as objective interest.” (CW vol. X, p. 123, pp. 255)
What this points to his theory of the anima/animus syzygy of the male and female psyche's. According to Jung, men possess the anima in their unconscious, and this is a charicature of the feminine ''eros''. It is apart of personal individuation for men to confront their anima, by accepting ''eros'' (a trait pushed out of phalocratic society). Also intrinsic to this is the ability to see beyond the projected ego and assimilate this into our conscious being. This is ''eros'', as it the 'desire for wholeness,' which is necessary for us to become intune with our selves. By understanding 'passionate love' and the 'desire for wholeness' as 'psychic relatedness' Jung also demonstrates that the desire for love is a desire for interconnection and interaction with other sentient

See also

★ The Greek god Eros

★ The Four Loves

★ Greek words for love

★ Limerence, a modern term describing the infatuation and romantic desires commonly associated with eros.