Experiences in Close Relationships Scale
from personality-testing.info courtesy Brennan, Clark & Shaver (1998)
Introduction This is a personality test focusing on how you relate to others in romantic relationships. Procedure On the next page there are thirty six statements that you need to rate on a scale of 1=strongly disagree 2=disagree 3=slightly disagree 4=neither agree nor disagree 5=slightly agree 6=agree 7=strongly agree There are no right or wrong answers. Just answer how you best feel. Scoring will be done on the page after that.
Score Statement
1. I prefer not to show a partner how I feel deep down. 2. I worry about being abandoned. 3. I am very comfortable being close to romantic partners. 4. I worry a lot about my relationships. 5. Just when my partner starts to get close to me I find myself pulling away. 6. I worry that romantic partners wont care about me as much as I care about them. 7. I get uncomfortable when a romantic partner wants to be very close. 8. I worry a fair amount about losing my partner. 9. I don't feel comfortable opening up to romantic partners. 10. I often wish that my partner's feelings for me were as strong as my feelings for him/her. 11. I want to get close to my partner, but I keep pulling back. 12. I often want to merge completely with romantic partners, and this sometimes scares them away. 13. I am nervous when partners get too close to me. 14. I worry about being alone. 15. I feel comfortable sharing my private thoughts and feelings with my partner. 16. My desire to be very close sometimes scares people away. 17. I try to avoid getting too close to my partner. 18. I need a lot of reassurance that I am loved by my partner. 19. I find it relatively easy to get close to my partner. 20. Sometimes I feel that I force my partners to show more feeling, more commitment. 21. I find it difficult to allow myself to depend on romantic partners. 22. I do not often worry about being abandoned. 23. I prefer not to be too close to romantic partners. 24. If I can't get my partner to show interest in me, I get upset or angry. 25. I tell my partner just about everything. 26. I find that my partner(s) don't want to get as close as I would like. 27. I usually discuss my problems and concerns with my partner. 28. When I'm not involved in a relationship, I feel somewhat anxious and insecure. 29. I feel comfortable depending on romantic partners. 30. I get frustrated when my partner is not around as much as I would like. 31. I don't mind asking romantic partners for comfort, advice, or help. 32. I get frustrated if romantic partners are not available when I need them. 33. It helps to turn to my romantic partner in times of need. 34. When romantic partners disapprove of me, I feel really bad about myself. 35. I turn to my partner for many things, including comfort and reassurance. 36. I resent it when my partner spends time away from me.
Scoring To score the test, transfer your scores for each item into the blanks below and then evaluate the statement. N = (1) ___ - (3) ___ + (5) ___ + (7) ___ + (9) ___ + (11) ___ + (13) ___ - (15) ___ + (17) ___ - (19) ___ + (21) ___ + (23) ___ - (25) ___ - (27) ___ - (29) ___ - (31) ___ - (33) ___ - (35) ___ = _____ V = (2) ___ + (4) ___ + (6) ___ + (8) ___ + (10) ___ + (12) ___ + (14) ___ + (16) ___ + (18) ___ + (20) ___ - (22) ___ + (24) ___ + (26) ___ + (28) ___ + (30) ___ + (32) ___ + (34) ___ + (36) ___ - 64 = _____ The scores for each scale should be between -54 and 54. A stands for aVoidance. This personality trait is related to how much you are unwilling to allow yourself to be vulnerable to your partner. High scorers do not like to open up to others. Low scorers share their feelings freely. N stands for aNxiety. This personality trait is related to how much you worry about your partner paying attention to you. People who score high on this trait frequently worry about, and are dissatisfied with, the attention they receive. Low scorers tend not to worry about this.
