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Original Attachment Three-category Measure
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About Original Attachment Three-category Measure
Scale Name
Original Attachment Three-category Measure
Author Details
Cindy Hazan and Philip Shaver
Translation Availability
Not Sure
Background/Description
The background and introduction of the original attachment three-category measure can be traced back to the work of Mary Ainsworth, who developed the Strange Situation Procedure to assess infant attachment style. Ainsworth identified three main attachment styles in infants: secure, avoidant, and ambivalent/resistant.
In the 1980s, Cindy Hazan and Philip Shaver hypothesized that these attachment styles would also exist in adults. They developed the original attachment three-category measure to test this hypothesis.
The measure consists of three items, each of which describes a different attachment style:
- Secure: I find it easy to get close to people and I don’t worry about being abandoned or rejected.
- Anxious/ambivalent: I often worry that my partner doesn’t love me as much as I love them and that they will leave me.
- Avoidant: I prefer not to get too close to people. I find it difficult to trust them and I worry that they will hurt me.
Participants are asked to select the item that best describes how they feel in romantic relationships.
Hazan and Shaver found that the distribution of attachment styles in their sample of adults was similar to that observed in infants. About 60% of adults classified themselves as secure, about 20% described themselves as avoidant, and about 20% described themselves as anxious/ambivalent.
The original attachment three-category measure has been widely used and has been shown to be a reliable and valid measure of adult attachment style. It has been used in numerous studies to investigate the relationship between attachment style and a variety of outcomes, including relationship satisfaction, coping skills, and mental health.
The introduction of the original attachment three-category measure was a major breakthrough in the field of psychology. It provided researchers with a way to measure adult attachment style in a reliable and valid way. This has led to a wealth of research on the topic of attachment, which has helped us to understand how our early attachment experiences can influence our relationships throughout our lives.
It is important to note that attachment style is a spectrum, and most people fall somewhere in between the three categories. It is also important to remember that attachment style is not fixed. It can change over time, depending on our experiences and relationships.
The original attachment three-category measure has been a valuable tool for researchers and clinicians alike. It has helped us to understand how attachment style can influence our relationships, our mental health, and our overall well-being.
Administration, Scoring and Interpretation
To administer the original attachment three-category measure, simply read the following items to the participant and ask them to select the item that best describes how they feel in romantic relationships:
- Secure: I find it easy to get close to people and I don’t worry about being abandoned or rejected.
- Anxious/ambivalent: I often worry that my partner doesn’t love me as much as I love them and that they will leave me.
- Avoidant: I prefer not to get too close to people. I find it difficult to trust them and I worry that they will hurt me.
Once the participant has selected an item, record their response.
If you are administering the measure online, you can simply present the items to the participant and ask them to select the item that best describes them.
Once you have collected all of the participant’s responses, you can calculate their attachment style by assigning each item a score of 1 for secure, 2 for anxious/ambivalent, and 3 for avoidant. The participant’s attachment style is then determined by the item with the highest score.
For example, if a participant selects the secure item, their attachment style is secure. If a participant selects the anxious/ambivalent item, their attachment style is anxious/ambivalent. If a participant selects the avoidant item, their attachment style is avoidant.
It is important to note that attachment style is a spectrum, and most people fall somewhere in between the three categories. It is also important to remember that attachment style is not fixed. It can change over time, depending on our experiences and relationships.
Here are some additional tips for administering the original attachment three-category measure:
- Make sure that the participant understands the instructions.
- Provide a quiet and private place for the participant to complete the measure.
- Be respectful of the participant’s privacy.
- If the participant has any questions, be sure to answer them clearly and concisely.
Reliability and Validity
The original attachment three-category measure has been shown to be a reliable and valid measure of adult attachment style.
Reliability refers to the consistency of the measure. If a measure is reliable, it will produce consistent results over time and across different situations.
The original attachment three-category measure has been shown to have good internal consistency, meaning that the items on the measure are all measuring the same thing. For example, a study by Brennan, Clark, and Shaver (1998) found that the three items on the measure had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.93.
The original attachment three-category measure has also been shown to have good test-retest reliability, meaning that it produces consistent results over time. For example, a study by Fraley, Waller, and Brennan (2000) found that the attachment style classifications of participants were stable over a period of 6 months.
Validity refers to the extent to which a measure measures what it is supposed to measure.
The original attachment three-category measure has been shown to have good convergent validity, meaning that it correlates with other measures that are thought to measure the same construct. For example, a study by Brennan, Clark, and Shaver (1998) found that the attachment three-category measure correlated with other measures of attachment, such as the Adult Attachment Inventory (AAI).
The original attachment three-category measure has also been shown to have good discriminant validity, meaning that it distinguishes between different attachment styles. For example, a study by Fraley, Waller, and Brennan (2000) found that the attachment three-category measure was able to distinguish between secure, anxious/ambivalent, and avoidant attachment styles.
Available Versions
43-Items
Reference
Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. R. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 511-524.
Important Link
Scale File:
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Original Attachment Three-Category Measure?
It is a self-report questionnaire that measures adult attachment style.
What are the three attachment styles?
Secure, anxious/ambivalent, and avoidant.
How do you calculate your attachment style?
Assign each item a score of 1 for secure, 2 for anxious/ambivalent, and 3 for avoidant. The participant’s attachment style is then determined by the item with the highest score.
Is the Original Attachment Three-Category Measure reliable and valid?
Yes, it has been shown to have good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, convergent validity, and discriminant validity.
Is the Original Attachment Three-Category Measure a comprehensive assessment of attachment style?
No, it is a simple measure that does not provide a comprehensive assessment of attachment style.
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