Clunite Editorial · Relationship Series

Attachment Style Test: Which of the 4 Types Are You?

Q: Can my attachment style change?

Yes. Attachment styles are not fixed. Research by Davila, Burge, and Hammen (1997) found that styles shift meaningfully over time, especially with consistent relationship experiences, therapy, or intentional self-awareness work. This test captures your style as it is today, not forever.

Q: What's the most common attachment style?

Secure attachment is the most common. Research by Hazan and Shaver (1987) found approximately 56% of adults identified as Secure, around 19% as Anxious-ambivalent, and around 25% as Avoidant in their initial sample. Disorganized was identified in later research by Main and Solomon (1986, refined 1990). Rates vary across different populations and measurement instruments.

10 questions. 2 minutes. Identify your attachment style and understand how it shapes every relationship in your life.

Take the test

Free · No email · Based on Bowlby & Ainsworth research

Editorially reviewed by our in-house team
Framework based on peer-reviewed attachment research since 1969.

The four patterns

Four styles. One is yours.

Attachment theory, first developed by John Bowlby and later applied to adult relationships by Hazan and Shaver (1987), identifies four distinct patterns. Each one shapes how you seek closeness, handle conflict, and respond when someone you love pulls away.

Type 01 · Secure

The Secure Base

You feel comfortable with intimacy and independence. You trust that people will be there.

~56% of adults · Most stable relational pattern

Type 02 · Anxious

The Preoccupied

You crave closeness but fear it won't last. Your mind runs scenarios the other person isn't running.

~19% of adults · Hyperactivates the attachment system

Type 03 · Avoidant

The Dismissing

You value independence above intimacy. Closeness feels like a threat to your sense of self.

~25% of adults · Deactivates the attachment system

Type 04 · Disorganized

The Fearful

You want closeness and fear it at the same time. Love feels dangerous in a way you can't fully explain.

Less common · Combines high anxiety and high avoidance

How it works

Two minutes. Real answers.

Answer 10 questions

Each question targets a specific behavioral marker of attachment — how you respond to closeness, conflict, distance, and repair attempts.

Scored on two axes

Your answers are mapped on the two-dimensional model from Bartholomew and Horowitz (1991): attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance.

A real answer

Your style, what it means in practice, how it shows up in conflict and in intimacy, and what shifts it toward security over time.

Methodology

Built on 50+ years of attachment science.

This test uses the two-dimensional model developed by Bartholomew and Horowitz (1991), which maps attachment patterns on two independent axes: anxiety (how much you worry about abandonment) and avoidance (how much you suppress your need for closeness). The intersection of these two dimensions produces the four types.

The theoretical foundation

John Bowlby's three-volume Attachment and Loss (1969–1980) established that humans are biologically driven to form close bonds, and that early caregiving experiences shape lifelong relational expectations. Mary Ainsworth's Strange Situation experiments identified three infant patterns: secure, anxious-ambivalent, and avoidant (Ainsworth et al., 1978).

"Romantic love is an attachment process — a biosocial process by which affectional bonds are formed between adult lovers, just as affectional bonds form between parents and their children." — Hazan & Shaver, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 1987

Adult attachment

Hazan and Shaver (1987) translated Bowlby's infant framework into adult romantic attachment, demonstrating that the three infant patterns appear in adult pair bonds with similar distributions. Bartholomew and Horowitz (1991) extended this to a four-category model by adding the Fearful-Avoidant type, resolving inconsistencies in earlier two-dimensional measures. Their model is the basis for this test.

Can it change?

Yes. Davila, Burge, and Hammen (1997) found significant individual changes in attachment classification over time, particularly through relationship experience and psychological intervention. Secure attachment can be earned through consistent safe relationships, a process Sroufe and colleagues term "earned security."

FAQ

Questions, answered.

What is attachment style?

Attachment style is the characteristic pattern of how you relate emotionally to close others — especially romantic partners and close friends. It develops from early caregiving experiences and shapes how you seek closeness, handle conflict, and respond to distance. Four main styles have been identified: Secure, Anxious, Avoidant, and Disorganized.

Can my attachment style change?

Yes. Research by Davila, Burge, and Hammen (1997) found that attachment styles shift meaningfully over time, especially with consistent safe relationship experiences, therapy, or intentional self-awareness work. This test captures your style as it is today, not forever. The goal of attachment awareness is to move toward secure functioning — what researchers call "earned security."

Is this test clinically valid?

This is an educational self-assessment, not a clinical instrument. The four-category framework is based on Bartholomew and Horowitz (1991), which is academically validated. For clinical assessment or attachment-focused therapy, please consult a licensed therapist. If your situation involves trauma, abuse, or significant psychological distress, a professional is better positioned to help.

What's the most common attachment style?

Secure attachment is the most common. Hazan and Shaver (1987) found approximately 56% of adults identified as Secure, around 19% as Anxious-ambivalent, and around 25% as Avoidant in their initial sample. These rates vary across populations and measurement tools. Disorganized attachment, identified by Main and Solomon (first described 1986, refined 1990), is the least common in general adult samples.

Is my data stored?

No personal identifiers are collected. Your answers are processed in-session and never linked to your name or email. We do not require sign-up. Aggregate, anonymized response statistics may inform future updates to the framework.

The library, curated.

Long read · 10 min

Your pattern is already running the show.

Understanding it is the first step toward choosing something different.