Attachment Style Quiz
Free attachment style quiz based on the ECR-R and Bartholomew & Horowitz four-style model. Discover if you're Secure, Preoccupied, Dismissing-Avoidant, or Fearful-Avoidant. Includes attachment dimensions and therapy options.
Discover your adult attachment style using validated relationship psychology. Based on the four-category model of Bartholomew and Horowitz (1991) and the dimensional framework of the Experiences in Close Relationships — Revised (ECR-R), this quiz maps your responses onto two core dimensions: Attachment Anxiety and Attachment Avoidance.
What is Attachment Style?
Attachment style refers to the characteristic pattern of thoughts, feelings, and behaviours you bring to close relationships, rooted in early experiences with caregivers. Developed by John Bowlby (1969) and extended by Mary Ainsworth and colleagues (1978), attachment theory proposes that early bonding experiences create an internal working model that shapes how you relate to others throughout your life.
Adult attachment styles are typically described along two underlying dimensions: Attachment Anxiety (fear of abandonment, worry about relationship stability) and Attachment Avoidance (discomfort with closeness, preference for self-reliance). The combination of these dimensions produces four attachment styles described by Bartholomew and Horowitz (1991): Secure, Preoccupied, Dismissing-Avoidant, and Fearful-Avoidant (Disorganized).
Attachment styles are not fixed destiny. Research consistently shows that earned security — developing a secure attachment style through positive adult relationships and therapy — is possible and common. Attachment-focused therapies such as Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) and Schema Therapy directly address attachment patterns to improve relationship quality and emotional wellbeing.
Attachment Style Quiz
Rate how much each statement describes you in close relationships on a scale of 1–7.
The Four Attachment Styles
Bartholomew and Horowitz (1991) organized adult attachment into four styles using two underlying dimensions: a person's model of self (positive or negative) and model of others (positive or negative). Each style reflects a distinct combination of Attachment Anxiety and Attachment Avoidance.
| Style | Anxiety | Avoidance | Self-model | Other-model | Core pattern |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Secure | Low | Low | Positive | Positive | Comfortable with closeness and interdependence; able to depend on others and have others depend on them |
| Preoccupied | High | Low | Negative | Positive | Strongly desires closeness but fears rejection; may seem "clingy" or seek excessive reassurance |
| Dismissing-Avoidant | Low | High | Positive | Negative | Values independence highly; minimizes the importance of relationships; may appear emotionally distant |
| Fearful-Avoidant | High | High | Negative | Negative | Wants closeness but fears being hurt; often described as having a disorganized or ambivalent relational pattern |
Attachment Style in Therapy
Attachment style has well-established relevance to how therapy unfolds. A meta-analysis of 14 studies (n = 1,467) found that secure attachment pretreatment predicted better therapy outcomes (d = 0.37), while anxious attachment was associated with poorer outcomes (d = −0.46); avoidant attachment was largely uncorrelated with outcome (Levy et al., 2011). An updated meta-analysis of 36 studies (n = 3,158) replicated these findings and found that patients with pretreatment insecurity may benefit particularly from treatments that incorporate an explicit focus on interpersonal relationships and close attachment patterns (Levy et al., 2018).
The therapeutic relationship itself mirrors attachment dynamics. Clients with preoccupied styles may form intense alliances quickly but show heightened distress around ruptures; dismissing-avoidant clients may present as highly self-sufficient and downplay distress, which can mask therapeutic need; fearful-avoidant clients often show the most variable alliance quality. Clinicians working with insecurely attached clients frequently integrate attachment-informed approaches — such as Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for couples or Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT) for adolescents — that explicitly target the internal working model.
Benson, Sevier, and Christensen (2013) found in an RCT of behavioural couples therapy that improvement in relationship satisfaction appeared to drive subsequent changes in attachment security, rather than the reverse. This suggests that in at least some therapies, changes in attachment style may be a byproduct of improved relationship functioning rather than a prerequisite for it — a clinically important nuance for setting expectations with clients.
Adult Attachment Measurement Tools
Several self-report and interview-based instruments assess adult attachment. The table below summarizes the most widely used tools and their key features.
| Instrument | Format | Items | What it yields | Key reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ECR-R (Experiences in Close Relationships — Revised) | Self-report, 7-point Likert | 36 | Continuous scores on Anxiety and Avoidance dimensions; high test-retest reliability (~85% shared variance over 3 weeks) | Sibley et al., 2005 |
| ECR-SF (ECR Short Form) | Self-report, 7-point Likert | 12 | Anxiety and Avoidance subscales; validity equivalent to full ECR across samples | Wei et al., 2007 |
| RQ (Relationship Questionnaire) | Self-report, single forced-choice + continuous ratings | 4 prototypes | Categorical four-style classification (Secure, Preoccupied, Fearful, Dismissing); simpler but less precise than dimensional measures | Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991 |
| AAI (Adult Attachment Interview) | Clinician-administered semi-structured interview | ~20 questions | Coded narrative classifications (Secure-Autonomous, Dismissing, Preoccupied, Unresolved); requires specialist training; considered the criterion standard for attachment assessment in research | George, Kaplan & Main, 1984 |
The ECR-R and its short form are the most commonly used instruments in clinical outcome research and population studies. The RQ offers a brief categorical snapshot useful in clinical conversation. The AAI is reserved for research and specialist clinical contexts because of the training and coding time it requires.
Relationship Outcome Monitoring in HiBoop
ECR-R, DERS, PHQ-9, and GAD-7 — integrated relationship, emotion dysregulation, and attachment-focused outcome monitoring for couples therapy, EFT, and DBT programmes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this quiz diagnose an attachment disorder?
No. This quiz is an educational tool based on attachment style research — it is not a clinical diagnosis. Attachment style is a dimensional personality construct, not a disorder. A registered mental health professional is needed to assess clinically significant relationship difficulties.
What is the difference between Attachment Anxiety and Attachment Avoidance?
Attachment Anxiety reflects worry about abandonment and a strong need for closeness and reassurance. Attachment Avoidance reflects discomfort with intimacy and a preference for emotional self-reliance. All four attachment styles are defined by a combination of low or high standing on each dimension.
Can attachment style change over time?
Yes. Research supports the concept of 'earned security' — people can develop more secure patterns through positive adult relationships and therapy. A 2018 meta-analysis found that patients who showed gains in attachment security during treatment also tended to show better therapy outcomes.
Is this quiz self-report or clinician-administered?
This is a self-report quiz based on the ECR-R framework. The ECR-R itself (Sibley, Fischer & Liu, 2005) is also self-report and yields continuous scores on Anxiety and Avoidance dimensions. Clinician-administered measures such as the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) exist but are used in specialist research and clinical settings.
References
- 1.Bartholomew K, Horowitz LM. Attachment styles among young adults: a test of a four-category model. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1991;61(2):226-44.View source
- 2.Sibley CG, Fischer R, Liu JH. Reliability and validity of the revised experiences in close relationships (ECR-R) self-report measure of adult romantic attachment. Pers Soc Psychol Bull. 2005;31(11):1524-36.View source
- 3.Levy KN, Kivity Y, Johnson BN, Gooch CV. Adult attachment as a predictor and moderator of psychotherapy outcome: A meta-analysis. J Clin Psychol. 2018;74(11):1996-2013.View source
- 4.Wei M, Russell DW, Mallinckrodt B, Vogel DL. The Experiences in Close Relationship Scale (ECR)-short form: reliability, validity, and factor structure. J Pers Assess. 2007;88(2):187-204.View source
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Last reviewed: Jun 3, 2026
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