Attachment Style Test India — Relationship Assessments

The 2 relationship assessments

AAS-Romantic — Adult Attachment Scale (Romantic relationships)

Measures your attachment style specifically in romantic relationships across three dimensions — comfort with closeness, comfort depending on others, anxiety about being rejected or unloved. Produces a score that maps to the four attachment styles. Takes 5-10 minutes. One of the most widely used adult attachment measures in research. Useful for understanding your fundamental pattern in romantic relationships.

RBI — Relationship Beliefs Inventory

Measures specific dysfunctional beliefs that may be operating in your relationships — disagreement is destructive, mind reading is expected, partners cannot change, the sexes are different, sexual perfection is required. Each belief is a cognitive distortion that creates relationship problems when unconsciously held. Useful for identifying specific beliefs to address in therapy or couples work. Takes 10-15 minutes.

Understanding the four attachment styles

Secure (~50-60% of adults globally)

Comfortable with closeness and independence; trusts that close others will be available when needed; able to depend on others and have others depend on them; does not excessively worry about being abandoned or being too dependent. Communication tends to be direct, conflict is approached as solvable, intimacy is sustainable. Usually develops from childhood caregivers who were reasonably consistent, responsive, and attuned.

Anxious (Preoccupied) (~20-25%)

Strongly desires closeness and intimacy; worries about being rejected, abandoned, or not loved enough; can become preoccupied with the relationship and the partner's commitment. Often hypervigilant to signs of partner withdrawal; can feel "too much" to partners. Communication can be intense, conflict can escalate, intimacy is craved but also feared.

Avoidant (Dismissive) (~20-25%)

Values independence highly; uncomfortable with too much closeness or intimacy; tends to maintain emotional distance; often suppresses emotional needs; can seem aloof or self-sufficient. Communication tends to be indirect or absent during conflict; intimacy is approached cautiously and often experienced as overwhelming.

Disorganised (Fearful-Avoidant) (~5-15%, higher in trauma-exposed populations)

Wants closeness but is afraid of it; experiences confusing approach-avoid patterns; often associated with trauma history or significant disruptions in early caregiving. The most complex pattern — typically requires trauma-focused work in addition to attachment-focused work.

Attachment style in Indian cultural context

Indian family and relationship contexts include factors Western attachment frameworks do not fully address:

• Joint family systems — attachment patterns develop in family configurations beyond mother-child; grandparents, aunts/uncles, multiple siblings as primary attachment figures. Indian attachment landscape is often more distributed than Western parent-focused frameworks assume.
• Arranged marriage context — adult attachment in arranged marriages develops differently from chosen-marriage contexts. Initial attachment intensity is typically lower; long-term attachment can develop strongly. Western "soulmate" attachment frameworks do not map cleanly.
• Interdependence as cultural value — Indian cultural framing often values interdependence positively (especially family interdependence) where Western attachment frameworks code high dependence as anxious-attachment dysfunction. The distinction between healthy cultural interdependence and clinical anxious attachment requires cultural sensitivity.
• Intergenerational expectations — adult Indian children often maintain primary attachment to parents alongside romantic partner attachment, in ways Western frameworks treat as "enmeshment" but may be culturally adaptive.
• Emotional expression norms — Indian cultural patterns around verbal emotional expression vary significantly by region, class, and family; lower verbal emotional expression is not necessarily avoidant attachment.

These nuances do not invalidate attachment frameworks — they qualify them. Take the assessments and bring results to a culturally-aware clinician for interpretation. Generic Western attachment frameworks applied without cultural sensitivity often misread Indian relationship patterns as pathological when they are culturally adaptive.

How to use your assessment results

1. Identify your dominant style — most people have one primary style with some variation
2. Do not pathologise — anxious and avoidant are not "bad"; they are patterns. Most people have insecure attachment patterns in some areas
3. Notice patterns, not labels — the specific behaviours that map to your style (hypervigilance to partner mood for anxious; emotional withdrawal during conflict for avoidant) are more actionable than the label itself
4. Consider your partner's style too — anxious-avoidant pairings are common and produce specific dynamics worth understanding
5. For RBI specifically — identify the 1-2 beliefs scoring highest as concrete therapy targets
6. Bring results to therapy — attachment-focused individual or couples therapy provides structured work with these patterns
7. Track change over time — attachment shifts slowly; re-take in 6-12 months to notice change
8. Do not expect overnight change — attachment patterns are deeply ingrained; meaningful shift typically takes years of consistent work

What attachment-focused therapy looks like

Evidence-based approaches:

• Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) — Sue Johnson's evidence-based couples therapy specifically built on attachment theory. Strongest research base for couples therapy outcomes. Works with attachment cycles in the relationship to create new emotional experiences.
• Attachment-Based Individual Therapy — works with childhood attachment patterns and their adult expression; often integrated with trauma work for disorganised attachment
• Couples therapy more broadly — many modalities incorporate attachment concepts
• Mentalization-Based Therapy — addresses attachment-related difficulties in understanding others' minds
• For partners with different attachment styles — couples therapy can help both partners understand the dynamic and develop more secure patterns together

The 90-day Relationship Healing Journey provides structured daily work with these patterns. Cadabams clinicians offer couples therapy and attachment-focused individual work — book through the doctors directory.

Pair with related Mindtalk tools

• Relationship Healing Journey — 90-day structured programme that uses these assessments at Phase 1 (Self-Awareness) baseline
• Boundary Types worksheet — boundary patterns often reflect attachment style
• Active Listening worksheet — listening patterns reflect attachment too
• Wellbeing & Resilience assessments — the Assertiveness Inventory and emotional intelligence scales pair naturally with attachment work

For abusive relationships, prioritise safety over attachment work. Crisis support — Women Helpline 1091, NCW 7827170170. The Relationship Healing safety section lists the full DV helpline list.