Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) is a semi-structured clinical and research tool used to assess an individual’s state of mind regarding attachment experiences. Rather than focusing on current relationships, the AAI evaluates how adults process and narrate early caregiving relationships, often predicting their own parenting styles and relational behaviors. It is widely used in developmental psychology, clinical research, and attachment-informed therapy.
Adult Attachment Interview
| |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) |
| Core Characteristics | Semi-structured clinical interview assessing internal working models of attachment |
| Developmental Origin | Created in the 1980s by Mary Main and colleagues at UC Berkeley |
| Primary Behaviors | Focus on narrative coherence, memory consistency, and emotional integration when discussing caregivers |
| Role in Behavior | Predicts adult attachment style, parenting style, and relational dynamics |
| Associated Traits | Secure-autonomous, dismissing, preoccupied, unresolved/disorganized attachment patterns |
| Contrasts With | Self-report tools like the ECR; AAI relies on narrative analysis rather than subjective ratings |
| Associated Disciplines | Developmental psychology, clinical psychology, attachment theory, trauma therapy |
| Clinical Relevance | Used to evaluate transgenerational trauma, parental sensitivity, and therapeutic attachment shifts |
| Sources: Main et al. (1985), George, Kaplan & Main (1986), Hesse (2008) | |
Other Names
AAI, Attachment Narrative Interview (less common), Adult Internal Working Model Interview
History
The AAI was developed by Mary Main, Carol Kaplan, and Nancy George in the 1980s as an extension of Bowlby’s attachment theory. It was designed to explore how adults internally organize and discuss their early childhood experiences — regardless of whether those experiences were positive or traumatic.
The AAI was revolutionary in moving beyond behavior (as in child attachment assessments) to examine discourse structure — how people narrate their attachment stories — as an indicator of attachment status.
Mechanism
The AAI consists of approximately 20 open-ended questions focused on early relationships and loss. Key themes include:
- Parental descriptions: “Can you describe your relationship with your mother/father as a child?”
- Memory consistency: Are narratives internally coherent and emotionally congruent?
- Trauma and loss: “Were there any experiences of rejection, threat, or separation?”
- Reflection: Can the individual reflect on past attachment dynamics with insight or detachment?
Narratives are scored by trained coders based on coherence, defensiveness, idealization, anger, and mentalizing capacity.
Psychology
The AAI categorizes adults into several primary attachment states:
- Secure-Autonomous (F): Coherent, balanced, reflective narratives about early caregivers
- Dismissing (Ds): Idealized or emotionally detached accounts lacking detailed memory
- Preoccupied (E): Rambling, angry, or emotionally entangled narratives
- Unresolved/Disorganized (U): Abrupt lapses in reasoning or speech when discussing trauma or loss
These styles predict caregiving behavior, emotion regulation, and relational health in adulthood.
Neuroscience
Emerging research using fMRI and EEG suggests:
- Secure individuals: Show greater medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) engagement when reflecting on relationships
- Insecure dismissing profiles: May show reduced activity in emotion-processing regions such as the amygdala
- Unresolved attachment: Correlates with dysregulated limbic responses and reduced executive functioning when discussing trauma
These neural patterns reflect how deeply embedded attachment representations are in autobiographical memory and emotion systems.
Epidemiology
Population-based AAI findings:
- Roughly 55–65% of adults in non-clinical Western samples are Secure-Autonomous
- 15–20% are Dismissing, 10–15% Preoccupied, 5–15% Unresolved/Disorganized
- Unresolved attachment is significantly elevated in trauma-affected, institutionalized, or clinical populations
In the News
- Therapist training: Clinical psychology programs increasingly include AAI training as part of attachment-based interventions
- Parenting research: AAI scores are used to predict parental sensitivity and likelihood of secure infant attachment
Media
- Films & Documentaries
- “The Strange Situation” (Documentary References) – While not a direct depiction, Mary Main’s work on the AAI is often discussed in documentaries about attachment theory
- Literature & Books
- “Handbook of Attachment” (Cassidy & Shaver) – A key academic text referencing the AAI’s role in attachment research
- “The Developing Mind” (Daniel Siegel) – Discusses the AAI’s impact on understanding adult attachment narratives
- TV & Online Media
- Psychology Networker – Featured discussions on the AAI’s significance in attachment research
- Therapy & Mental Health Blogs – Websites like The Attachment Project and Brave Therapy discuss the AAI’s clinical applications
- Research & Academic Media
- Meta-analyses & Studies – Frequently cited in psychological research, such as the NICHD Study of Early Child Care
Related Constructs or Clusters
| Construct | Relationship to AAI |
|---|---|
| Internal working models | Core focus of the AAI — how early experiences are mentally organized |
| Narrative coherence | Main variable assessed by AAI to evaluate attachment status |
| Reflective functioning | Mentalization capacity — the ability to think about thoughts and emotions — is coded in AAI narratives |
Publications
AAI research appears across developmental psychology, clinical attachment theory, neurobiology, and trauma studies. Topics include transgenerational attachment transmission, disorganized caregiving, and attachment-based interventions.
- Maternal Emotion Regulation and Parenting: A Physiological Perspective
- Maternal attachment state of mind and defensive functioning in pregnancy: predicting mother-infant relationship at 6 months through the PDM-2 Infancy and Early Childhood section
- Transition to motherhood: stability and change in attachment representations from pregnancy to 5 years
- Relations between components of dismissing attachment representations and family relationships
- Attachment insecurity modulates neural responses to psychological distress in OCD and healthy individuals
FAQs
Is the AAI a personality test?
No. It is a narrative-based, attachment assessment tool—not a trait or personality inventory.
Can I take the AAI online?
No. It requires in-person or video interview with a trained administrator and expert coding of the transcript.
How long does the AAI take?
The interview lasts 60–90 minutes, followed by several hours of formal narrative coding by trained researchers.
What’s the difference between AAI and ECR?
The AAI is a qualitative tool using narrative analysis. The ECR (Experiences in Close Relationships) is a self-report questionnaire about current relational tendencies.
