Refining the assessment of internal working models: the Attachment Multiple Model Interview

The Attachment Multiple Model Interview (AMMI) was developed to assess internal working models (IWMs) of specific relationships in adulthood (e.g., with mother, father, and romantic partner). In an initial effort to validate the AMMI, the interview was administered to participants who were followed from age 4 to 23. ANOVA and contrast tests confirmed the AMMI's capacity to discriminate between mother, father, and partner IWMs. AMMI security with each parent was correlated with coherence according to the Adult Attachment Interview, and AMMI disorganization with mother with unresolved trauma (N = 53). AMMI dimensions of security, deactivation, and hyperactivation with the mother were associated with cumulative lifetime scores of security (N = 23), avoidance, and resistance (N = 34), respectively. Intercorrelations between these AMMI scales were also theory-consistent. Associations with the AAI and between AMMI security scores of different relationships are consistent with previous findings suggesting a contribution from both parents in the development of a state of mind, but a more important role of the mother for representations of the partner.