The four attachment styles, explained
Updated .
Adult attachment research measures two things separately. Attachment anxiety is how much evidence you need that a relationship is still there. Attachment avoidance is how much distance you keep when things get close. Crossing the two gives four familiar patterns: secure, anxious, dismissive-avoidant and fearful-avoidant. They are better read as positions on two dials than as four boxes, and they can change.
Low anxiety, low avoidance
Secure attachment
You love without bracing for impact.
Low anxiety, high avoidance
Dismissive-avoidant attachment
You're good on your own, and access to you is earned.
High anxiety, low avoidance
Anxious attachment
You love at full volume — and you'd like to know it's landing.
High anxiety, high avoidance
Fearful-avoidant attachment
You want closeness and you don't quite trust it — both at once.
Find yours
A free test on the same two dimensions: 30 questions and about five minutes, or a short version in about 60 seconds. No account needed to read the whole report. It is not a clinical instrument.
Questions people ask
- What are the four attachment styles?
- Secure (low anxiety, low avoidance), anxious (high anxiety, low avoidance), dismissive-avoidant (low anxiety, high avoidance) and fearful-avoidant (high anxiety, high avoidance). They come from crossing two independent dimensions measured in adult attachment research.
- Are attachment styles fixed?
- No. They are moderately stable over years but can change, especially through long, consistent relationships and therapy. Research also suggests they are better described as positions on two dimensions than as four separate boxes.
- How do I find out my attachment style?
- Researchers use questionnaires such as the ECR-R, which measure attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance separately. Our free test uses the same two dimensions and takes about five minutes, or about a minute for the short version. No questionnaire is a diagnosis; treat the result as a description you can argue with.
Sources
- Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52(3), 511–524.
- Bartholomew, K., & Horowitz, L. M. (1991). Attachment styles among young adults: A test of a four-category model. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61(2), 226–244.
- Fraley, R. C., Waller, N. G., & Brennan, K. A. (2000). An item response theory analysis of self-report measures of adult attachment. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 78(2), 350–365.
- Fraley, R. C., Hudson, N. W., Heffernan, M. E., & Segal, N. (2015). Are adult attachment styles categorical or dimensional? Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 109(2), 354–368.
- Fraley, R. C., & Roisman, G. I. (2019). The development of adult attachment styles: Four lessons. Current Opinion in Psychology, 25, 26–30.