Fear of Intimacy Scale (FIS)

Abstract

The Fear of Intimacy Scale (FIS) is a highly regarded 35-item self-report measure developed by Carol J. Descutner and Mark H. Thelen in 1991. Its primary function is the systematic assessment of an individual’s anxiety, inhibition, and apprehension concerning the establishment and maintenance of emotional and physical closeness within intimate, typically dating, relationships. Responses are collected using a 5-point Likert scale, where higher cumulative scores are indicative of a greater underlying fear of intimacy. The FIS is recognized for its robust psychometric properties, including high internal consistency and test-retest reliability, establishing it as a valuable instrument for both clinical diagnosis and research focused on relationship difficulties stemming from anxiety and avoidance behaviors.

Keywords

Fear of Intimacy, Relationship Anxiety, Social Phobia, Psychometric properties, Dating Relationships, Commitment Phobia, Emotional Closeness, Self-disclosure, Relationship Avoidance

Authors

Carol J. Descutner, Mark H. Thelen

Purpose

The central objective of the Fear of Intimacy Scale (FIS) is to offer a standardized and quantifiable method for measuring an individual’s degree of anxiety regarding close interpersonal relationships. Although the psychological concept of fear of intimacy was discussed in earlier works, notably by David Burns in 1980, the 35-item FIS specifically validated by Descutner and Thelen in 1991 focuses on anxiety experienced within committed or prospective dating relationships.

In clinical settings, the FIS is instrumental in helping therapists identify patients who exhibit an inhibited capacity for the reciprocal exchange of personal thoughts and deep feelings, a difficulty often rooted in underlying anxiety. For research applications, the scale functions as a reliable metric for investigating the nature, correlates, and efficacy of treatments related to relationship avoidance and intimacy issues. Furthermore, FIS scores frequently provide empirical links to theoretical frameworks such as Attachment theory, which posits that early relationship experiences influence adult intimacy fears.

Construct

The FIS is designed to operationalize the psychological construct defined as the fear of intimacy. This construct is characterized by an inhibited capacity to achieve emotional and/or physical closeness with a valued individual, primarily driven by anticipatory anxiety. The fear is often conceptualized as a specific manifestation of social anxiety or phobia that actively prevents the development and maintenance of deep, stable emotional bonds.

The scale is structurally comprehensive, aiming to capture various facets of this complex fear. While yielding a single total score, the construct is conceptually organized around several core dimensions of anxiety, all of which contribute significantly to a high total FIS score:

• Fear of Emotional Intimacy: Anxiety or reluctance associated with sharing one’s deepest personal thoughts, feelings, and vulnerable experiences with a partner.
• Fear of Physical Intimacy: Apprehension related to sexual closeness and general non-sexual physical contact within a romantic context.
• Fear of Commitment: The specific anxiety surrounding the prospect of making a long-term pledge or binding commitment to another person.
• Fear of Loss of Independence: Worry about sacrificing personal autonomy, individuality, or one’s sense of self due to the demands of a close relationship.
• Fear of Engulfment: The specific concern of being overwhelmed, consumed, or psychologically absorbed by the partner or the relationship itself.

Validity

Construct validity of the FIS was rigorously established through the use of factor analysis and extensive correlational studies detailed in the original validation paper by Descutner and Thelen. These studies confirmed that the FIS scores behaved as expected when measured against other established psychological constructs.

Empirical evidence for validity includes significant positive correlations between FIS scores and measures of loneliness, supporting the notion that individuals who avoid closeness often experience greater social isolation. Conversely, FIS scores demonstrated significant negative correlations with measures of self-disclosure, social intimacy, and social desirability. Crucially, these correlational patterns remained significant even after controlling for the influence of social desirability bias, reinforcing that the scale genuinely measures underlying relationship anxiety rather than just generalized social inhibition. Further validation was provided by findings showing that subjects with higher FIS scores reported having dating relationships of significantly shorter duration, and these scores were consistently aligned with external clinical ratings of a client’s fear of intimacy provided by independent therapists.

Reliability

The FIS is characterized by strong psychometric properties, ensuring its consistency and stability. The scale demonstrates high internal consistency, typically measured using Cronbach’s alpha, which confirms that all 35 items reliably measure the same underlying construct—the fear of intimacy—as a unified concept.

Beyond internal consistency, the FIS has exhibited high test-retest reliability over short to moderate periods. This indicates that an individual’s score remains stable over time, provided that their actual level of relationship anxiety has not undergone significant change due to intervention or life events. Furthermore, the scale has demonstrated discriminant validity, confirming that the FIS measures a unique construct distinct from more generalized measures of clinical anxiety or depression, thereby justifying its specific use in relationship research.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis played a critical role in the initial development and subsequent validation of the Fear of Intimacy Scale, aiming to clarify its internal structure and confirm its construct validity. The results of the analysis consistently supported the scale’s fundamental measurement objective: the specific assessment of anxiety related to close interpersonal relationships.

Although the scale is most frequently utilized in research as a unidimensional total score representing overall fear of intimacy, the underlying conceptual dimensions—including anxiety related to emotional intimacy, physical intimacy, commitment, loss of independence, and engulfment—provide a necessary framework for a nuanced, comprehensive clinical understanding of the construct.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report measure/Psychological Scale

Format: 35 items, rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Not at all characteristic of me; 5 = Extremely characteristic of me).

Language Available: English, Chinese (Mandarin), and potentially other languages subject to localized translation and validation studies.

Population Group: Clinical and Non-Clinical Populations

Age Group: Adults (Primarily utilized with individuals who are currently involved in or seeking dating or close romantic relationships).

Population Details: The scale was initially validated using samples of college students and adults in dating relationships, but it is broadly applicable to the general adult population for assessing relationship anxiety. Reported U.S. average FIS scores fall within the range of 80–90 (with typical ranges being 75–85 for females and 85–95 for males).

Test Methodology: Respondents are instructed to rate how characteristic each statement is of them, often requiring them to imagine being in a close dating relationship (Part A) or to reflect upon experiences in past relationships (Part B). Scoring requires the reverse scoring of specific items (3, 6-8, 10, 14, 17-19, 21, 22, 25, 27, 29, and 30). The final total score can range from a minimum of 35 (indicating the lowest fear of intimacy) to a maximum of 175 (indicating the highest fear).

Keywords

Psychological Assessment, Relationship Skills, Social Interaction, Clinical Psychology, Attachment theory, Loneliness, Internal consistency, Anxiety Disorder

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source content.

Correspondence Address: Carol J. Descutner and Mark H. Thelen, University of Missouri (at the time of the scale’s publication).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 1991 (Validation and Publication of the 35-item scale by Descutner & Thelen).

Permissions & Fee: Permissions for use are generally required from the authors or the journal publisher, the American Psychological Association (via the journal Psychological Assessment), particularly for commercial applications or large-scale research projects. The instrument is frequently made available for non-commercial academic research without explicit fees, subject to standard institutional and research ethics agreements.

The instrument is referenced in the Healthy Marriages Compendium, Part 2. The original PDF can be downloaded here: Healthy Marriages Compendium, Part 2.

Reference’s

• Burns, D. D. (1980). Feeling good: The new mood therapy. New York: Avon Books.
• Descutner, C. J., & Thelen, M. H. (1991). Development and validation of a Fear-of-Intimacy Scale. Psychological Assessment: A Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 3(2), 218-225.
• Doi, S. C., & Thelen, M. H. (1993). The fear of intimacy scale: Replication and extension. Psychological Assessment, 5(3), 377-383.
• Hazan, C., & Shaver, P. R. (1987). Romantic love conceptualized as an attachment process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 52, 511-531.
• Leary, M. R. (1983). Social anxiety: The construct and its measurement. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 713-725.
• Mikulincer, M., & Shaver, P. R. (2007). Attachment in adulthood: Structure, dynamics, and change. New York: Guilford Press.
• Corcoran, K., & Fischer, J. (2000). Measures for clinical practice: A sourcebook (Vol. 1). New York, NY: The Free Press.
• Fallah-Zade H, Farzad W, 2012. Psychometric Properties of the fear of intimacy scale. Journal of Research in Psychological Health. 5(1): 70-79.

Items of the Fear of Intimacy Scale (FIS)

Part A Instructions: Imagine you are in a close, dating relationship. Respond to the following statements as you would if you were in that close relationship. Rate how characteristic each statement is of you on a scale of 1 to 5 as described below, and put your responses on the answer sheet.

Note. In each statement “O” refers to the person who would be in the close relationship with you.

1. I would feel uncomfortable telling 0 about things in the past that I have felt ashamed of.
2. I would feel uneasy talking with 0 about something that has hurt me deeply.

X3. I would feel comfortable expressing my true feelings to 0.

4. If 0 were upset I would sometimes be afraid of showing that I care.
5. I might be afraid to confide my innermost feelings to 0.

X6. I would feel at ease telling 0 that I care about him/her.

X7. I would have a feeling of complete togetherness with 0.

X8. I would be comfortable discussing significant problems with 0.

9. A part of me would be afraid to make a long-term commitment to 0.

X10. I would feel comfortable telling my experiences, even sad ones, to 0.

11. I would probably feel nervous showing 0 strong feelings of affection.
12. I would find it difficult being open with 0 about my personal thoughts.
13. I would feel uneasy with 0 depending on me for emotional support.

X14. I would not be afraid to share with 0 what I dislike about myself.

15. I would be afraid to take the risk of being hurt in order to establish a closer relationship with 0.
16. I would feel comfortable keeping very personal information to myself.

X17. I would not be nervous about being spontaneous with 0.

X18. I would feel comfortable telling 0 things that I do not tell other people.

X19. I would feel comfortable trusting 0 with my deepest thoughts and feelings.

20. I would sometimes feel uneasy if 0 told me about very personal matters.

X21. I would be comfortable revealing to 0 what I feel are my shortcomings and handicaps.

X22. I would be comfortable with having a close emotional tie between us.

23. I would be afraid of sharing my private thoughts with 0.
24. I would be afraid that I might not always feel close to 0.

X25. I would be comfortable telling 0 what my needs are.

26. I would be afraid that 0 would be more invested in the relationship than I would be.

X27. I would feel comfortable about having open and honest communication with 0.

28. I would sometimes feel uncomfortable listening to 0’s personal problems.

X29. I would feel at ease to completely be myself around 0.

X30. I would feel relaxed being together and talking about our personal goals.

Part B Instructions: Respond to the following statements as they apply to your past relationships. Rate how characteristic each statement is of you on a scale of 1 to 5 as described in the instructions for Part A.

31. I have shied away from opportunities to be close to someone.
32. I have held back my feelings in previous relationships.
33. There are people who think that I am afraid to get close to them.
34. There are people who think that I am not an easy person to get to know.
35. I have done things in previous relationships to keep me from developing closeness.

Note. X denotes items reversed for scoring.