This test crosses two axes to define your attachment style:
- Anxiety: how much fear you feel about being left by people close to you.
- Avoidance: how much discomfort emotional closeness brings up in you.
The combination of both determines your predominant style. It's 20 statements (10 per axis), about 5-6 minutes. Answer with your current relationships in mind, not a single specific relationship.
All possible results
Secure Attachment
Trusting others and staying emotionally close without losing your independence comes naturally to you.
Read more about Secure Attachment
“Secure attachment combines emotional closeness with independence: you trust that the bonds that matter will hold without needing constant proof.”
Where it comes from
It tends to form with available caregivers who respond warmly and consistently, not perfectly. Bowlby described this as an «internal working model»: the largely unconscious expectation that the people who matter will be there, and that you deserve that care.
How it shows up in your relationships
- You communicate what you feel directly and tolerate the other person doing the same.
- The other person's space or friendships don't get read as rejection.
- You bounce back quickly after conflict: an argument doesn't call the whole bond into question.
- You ask for help or comfort without it being hard to admit you need it.
Your growth edge
Security isn't a permanent, context-proof state: it's sustained through active attention, especially during high-stress moments. Acting as a «secure base» for someone with anxious or avoidant attachment tends to benefit both people.
An important note
This result is orientation-only and informational, inspired by Bowlby and Ainsworth's attachment theory: it isn't a diagnosis and doesn't replace a mental health professional's evaluation.
Anxious Attachment
You seek closeness and constant reassurance, and the fear of abandonment can shape your relationships.
Read more about Anxious Attachment
“Anxious attachment combines a high need for closeness with a persistent fear of abandonment: it isn't general insecurity, it's hypervigilance toward the state of the bond.”
Where it comes from
It's often linked to inconsistent caregiving: caregivers who were sometimes warm and available, and sometimes not, with no way to predict which one would show up. That unpredictability trains an alarm system that switches on easily and is hard to turn off, even in stable adult relationships.
How it shows up in your relationships
- You actively look for confirmation that you still matter to the other person.
- An unanswered message easily reads as a sign that something's wrong.
- An argument can feel like a threat to the entire relationship, not a one-off disagreement.
- You care for the other person intensely, sometimes anticipating needs they haven't even expressed.
Your growth edge
The attachment literature describes that telling the fear apart from the actual evidence, and communicating a need directly instead of through indirect proof-seeking or complaints, tends to be linked to a lower need for constant reassurance. Researchers call this pattern «hyperactivation» of the attachment system.
An important note
This result is orientation-only and informational: it isn't a diagnosis and doesn't replace a mental health professional's evaluation.
Avoidant Attachment
You value your independence over closeness and find it hard to depend on other people emotionally.
Read more about Avoidant Attachment
“Avoidant attachment prioritizes self-sufficiency over emotional closeness: it isn't coldness, it's a learned strategy for not depending on something that, at some point, wasn't reliably there.”
Where it comes from
It's often linked to caregivers who were rigid about a baby's expressed needs, sometimes responding with rejection when the baby asked for something. The lesson learned is that asking pushes people away instead of drawing them closer, so the only way to stay somewhat close is to neither depend on nor show need.
How it shows up in your relationships
- Faced with a problem, your first move is to solve it alone rather than ask for support.
- Sharing emotions in depth can feel exposing, even with people you trust.
- After moments of real closeness, you feel the pull to create distance.
- Your communication around emotional topics tends to be more guarded.
Your growth edge
The model distinguishes a «dismissive» avoidant style (comfortable with distance) from a «fearful» one (wants closeness but distrusts it). The literature describes that asking for help with small things, and giving a heads-up instead of disappearing, tends to be linked to better tolerance for closeness, without that meaning a loss of autonomy.
An important note
This result is orientation-only and informational: it isn't a diagnosis and doesn't replace a mental health professional's evaluation.
Disorganized Attachment
You swing between seeking closeness and protecting yourself from it, with bonds that combine a desire for intimacy and distrust.
Read more about Disorganized Attachment
“Disorganized attachment combines high anxiety about abandonment with equally high avoidance of closeness: two alarm systems pulling in opposite directions.”
Where it comes from
It's linked to environments where the caregiver was, at once, a source of fear and of comfort. If the baby approached, it triggered the anxiety of a caregiver who didn't know how to respond well; if it pulled away, that same caregiver could experience it as rejection. Neither strategy worked reliably.
How it shows up in your relationships
- You swing, almost without transition, between seeking closeness and needing distance.
- Trusting feels necessary and risky at the same time.
- Under relational stress, you move easily from seeking reassurance to emotional shutdown.
- You describe your relationship history in a more fragmented way than other styles tend to.
Your growth edge
Noticing the back-and-forth as it happens, stable and predictable relationships, and explicit day-to-day structure are, according to the literature, linked to better counterbalancing this pattern's internal unpredictability. It's the style that tends to benefit most from professional support.
An important note
This result is orientation-only and informational: it isn't a diagnosis and doesn't replace a mental health professional's evaluation.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the attachment style test take?
Between 5 and 6 minutes: 20 statements with five answer options each.
How is my attachment style calculated?
Each question scores one of two independent axes: anxiety or avoidance. Your combined position on both determines which quadrant (and style) you land in.
Can I have a bit of several styles at once?
Yes. Attachment isn't a closed label: it's a position in a continuous space. The result flags your dominant tendency, but the anxiety and avoidance bars show the nuance.
Should I answer with my current partner in mind?
It's better to think about your usual pattern in close relationships (partner, family, friendships), not just one specific relationship: attachment is a relational style, not something exclusive to romantic relationships.
Is an online attachment test reliable?
It's an orientation-only, informational approximation, not a validated clinical evaluation. If attachment is causing significant distress in your relationships, consult a psychology professional.
Is the attachment test free?
Yes, it's completely free and you don't need to sign up to take it or to see your result.