Self-Report Attachment Style Prototype: Emotional and Spiritual Bonds

Discover how the Self-Report Attachment Style Prototype (SRASP) offers deep insight into your emotional and spiritual health. Rooted in decades of attachment theory research, this assessment helps you uncover attachment patterns shaped by early relationships. Learn how Christian counseling and the SRASP can guide you toward secure spiritual attachment, emotional growth, and relational healing—strengthening both your emotional and spiritual health.

What Is the Self-Report Attachment Style Prototype (SRASP)?

The Self-Report Attachment Style Prototype (SRASP) is a research-based tool used to measure adult attachment styles. It builds on foundational work by Kim Bartholomew and Leonard Horowitz, who expanded the original theory by identifying four primary attachment types.

These styles describe how people view themselves and others, and they significantly influence emotional responses, relationship patterns, and even spiritual connection.

The Four Attachment Styles Identified by SRASP

1. Secure Attachment

Positive view of self and others. Individuals feel comfortable with closeness and trust, and they typically see God as loving and dependable.

2. Dismissing Attachment

Positive view of self, negative view of others. These individuals tend to value independence and may struggle to connect emotionally, including with God.

3. Preoccupied Attachment

Negative view of self, positive view of others. They often seek validation from others and may feel insecure about God’s love.

4. Fearful Attachment

Negative view of self and others. They crave closeness but fear rejection, often projecting this tension onto their relationship with God.

Self-Report Attachment Style Prototype

How the SRASP Works

The SRASP uses a series of self-reflective statements such as:

  • “I find it difficult to trust others.”

  • “I feel comfortable depending on someone.”

Participants rate these statements using a Likert scale. Results are then mapped to one of the four attachment styles.

This simple but powerful tool helps:

  • Identify emotional wounds rooted in early caregiver relationships

  • Understand how attachment style influences spiritual life

  • Guide therapeutic and spiritual interventions

Self-Report Attachment Style Prototype

Applications in Christian Counseling

Christian counselors use the SRASP to:

  • Tailor healing strategies based on a person’s attachment style

  • Reframe negative perceptions of God using Scripture

  • Encourage secure spiritual attachment through relational healing

Clients struggling to view God as loving or trustworthy often find breakthrough by understanding how early relational wounds shape their spiritual worldview.

SRASP assessment

Self-Report Attachment Style Prototype

SRASP and Spiritual Growth

Attachment style isn’t just psychological—it influences your spiritual identity. The SRASP helps:

  • Reveal distorted internal models about God

  • Promote emotional healing through truth and grace

  • Restore intimacy in your walk with God

Therapy and faith-based tools like inner healing prayer, journaling, and mentorship can accelerate this process, helping individuals trade fear for trust and shame for freedom.

Christian counseling

the hand of the father

Go Deeper

Want to dive deeper into healing your spiritual attachment style? The Hand of the Father by Dr. Gerry Ball offers a faith-centered guide to overcoming emotional wounds and reconnecting with God as your loving Father.

Through real-life stories, scriptural insight, and practical tools, this book helps you:

  • Understand your attachment style

  • Heal from past relational pain

  • Build trust with God through Christ’s mediation