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Understanding, Emotional Attraction, and Authoritativeness3

Understanding, Emotional Attraction, and Authoritativeness Test

Understand how partners see each other, feel emotionally connected, and show respect in about 4 minutes. A quick 45 item check-in that supports couples therapy by pinpointing strengths and tension fast.

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Questions: 454 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

28,871 view

2,603 completions

2,255 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

7/30

Authoritativeness (A)

Authority measures the degree of respect, acceptance, and agreement with a partner’s views, interests, and opinions.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 10: Low | 11 – 20: Moderate | 21 – 30: High

A score of 7 falls in the Low range, suggesting limited acceptance of the partner’s perspectives and lower perceived respect or authority in the relationship.

example score

15/30

Emotional Attraction (EA)

Emotional attraction reflects how appealing the partner feels, the desire to interact, and the positive emotional impact of contact.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 10: Low | 11 – 20: Moderate | 21 – 30: High

A score of 15 indicates moderate emotional attraction, suggesting generally positive contact with some fluctuations in desire for closeness or ease of communication.

example score

11/30

Understanding (U)

Measures how clearly a person feels they understand their partner’s personality and can interpret their behavior, thoughts, and emotions.

Low understanding

Moderate understanding

High understanding

0 – 14: Low understanding | 15 – 22: Moderate understanding | 23 – 30: High understanding

A score of 11 falls in the Low understanding range, suggesting noticeable difficulty forming a clear picture of the partner’s traits and explaining their actions and feelings.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Couples in counseling

46%OF USERS

Partners taking therapy use it to quickly see how they understand each other, how emotionally close they feel, and how much respect is present.

Couples in a rough patch

33%OF USERS

Spouses facing frequent conflicts or distance take it to pinpoint where misunderstanding, fading attraction, or authority issues are building up.

Therapists and workshop leaders

21%OF USERS

Relationship professionals use it as a fast baseline and progress check to guide discussions and track changes over time.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Authority (A)

Average

12.4

Normal range

7.4 — 17.4

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Emotional Attraction (EA)

Average

20.5

Normal range

15.5 — 25.5

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Understanding (U)

Average

18.7

Normal range

14.3 — 23

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Below are statements about your understanding of your spouse. For each item, select one response: “Yes” (this is true), “No” (this is not true), or “Don’t know” (unable to say).

- Yes
- No
- Don't know
- Yes
- No
- Don't know
- Yes
- No
- Don't know

These are 3 of the 45 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Understanding, emotional attraction, authority, PEA Test

Understanding, Emotional Attraction, and Authoritativeness Test - Symptoms and Signs

family adaptation

family

This brief self-report measure is designed to support clinical understanding of perceived partner dynamics in intimate relationships. Understanding, Emotional Attraction, and Authoritativeness is intended to assess perceptions of mutual understanding, emotional attraction/closeness, and perceived respect or authority within the relationship.

The instrument includes 45 items and typically requires about 4 minutes to complete. It may be used in couple therapy or relationship-focused assessment to inform case formulation, guide discussion of relational patterns, and monitor perceived change over time. Authors are listed as John M. Gottman and Robert J. Sternberg.

Understanding, Emotional Attraction, and Authoritativeness provides structured data on how each partner experiences the other and the relationship, and results should be interpreted in conjunction with clinical interview findings and relevant contextual information.

Author: John M. Gottman, Robert J. Sternberg

Literature: Buss, D. M. Sex differences in human mate preferences: Evolutionary hypotheses tested in 37 cultures. Behavioral and Brain Sciences. 1989.