What Is Attachment Theory
Attachment Theory was proposed by British psychologist John Bowlby in the 1950s, originally to explain the emotional bond between infants and their primary caregivers. He argued that this early relationship forms an "internal working model" that shapes how a person later understands themselves and others.
In the 1970s, Mary Ainsworth used the "Strange Situation" procedure to classify infant attachment into three types: secure, anxious-ambivalent and avoidant. In 1991, Bartholomew and Horowitz further organized adult attachment into a four-category model built on two dimensions — the framework used by this test.
The Two Dimensions
| Dimension |
The question it asks |
What a high score means |
| Anxiety |
Will I be abandoned? |
Highly attentive to relationship signals, needs more reassurance |
| Avoidance |
Will intimacy hurt me? |
Values independence, unaccustomed to depending or being depended on |
These two dimensions are independent of each other, and crossing them yields four types:
- Secure (low anxiety, low avoidance): able to depend on others and to be depended on.
- Anxious (high anxiety, low avoidance): longs for closeness, but often accompanied by unease.
- Avoidant (low anxiety, high avoidance): values independence; closeness feels uncomfortable.
- Fearful (high anxiety, high avoidance): wants to move closer and to run at once, with the strongest inner tug of war.
Your Type Is One Thing; Change Is Another
Attachment styles are indeed fairly stable, but they are not destiny. Research shows that long-term stable relationships, a partner's responsiveness, and conscious self-awareness can all move a person's attachment pattern toward the secure end.
The value of understanding your type is not to label yourself, but to see those automatic reactions — for example, pausing at the moment you want to run, or separating fact from interpretation before you reach for reassurance.
Common Misconceptions
- Secure means "perfect": No. Secure simply means being less driven by anxiety or avoidance, and secure people still face relationship difficulties.
- Your type never changes: Not true. Major relationship experiences and self-awareness can both produce movement.
- Fearful always means trauma: Not necessarily, but the proportion is indeed higher, and it deserves a gentle response.