One of the questions on the attachment theory quiz I took was this:

I worry that others won't care about me as much as I care about them. * Strongly Disagree * Somewhat disagree * Neither agree nor disagree * Somewhat agree * Strongly agree

I see this as a bad question. Consider the following possibilities.

1 I care about them a lot. They care about me a lot. 1 I don't care about them much. They care about me a lot. 1 I care about them a lot. They don't care about me much. 1 I don't care much about them. They don't care about me much.

Now, how do answer this question?

Possibility 1. If I agree (I worry) I'm clearly not secure. I think this would show being preoccupied. I also think that this was the intended scenario in the question. If I disagree (I don't worry) then I am secure.

Possibility 2: If I agree (Worry) I'm not sure what that means. If I disagree, (Don't worry) then I'm being dismissive?

Possibility 3: If I agree, I'm acknowledging an existing situation. Not sure what worrying about this means in If I disagree, I still don't know what it means.

Possibility 4: Why would I worry? Mind you I might be thinking, "I don't care for them, but they despise me."

I actually have a relationship like this with my stepson. (adult, with kids of his own.) I don't care much for him, but I worry that he despised me and holds me in contempt.

So the question is aimed at people who nominally care for each other.

I suppose that I should put the middle one a lot more. Maybe I should retake the quiz and when flummoxed, put the neutral answer.

I've been thinking about how the test should be modified so that this sort of thing is clearer.

E.g. Should questions be done like this:

Which of the following are true: * I care about my mom and really worry that my mother won't care about me as much as I care about her. * I care about my mom and worry a bit that my mother won't care about me as much as I care about her. * I care about my mom and and don't worry much about whether she cares about more or less than I do. * I care about my mom and am pretty sure she cares about me too. * I care about my mom and am certain she cares about me. * I don't care about mom, and I don't care if she cares for me. * I don't care about mom, and am afraid of her caring. * My mom is dead, and that's the way I like it. * I don't have a mom figure in my life. ...

Wording these is tricky.

This in essence adds a third dimension to the chart.