Explain how the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) assesses attachment style and how it relates to self-report measures

What will be an ideal response?

The AAI is an interview that asks people to discuss early experiences with primary caregivers. The interviews are then coded, not so much for content but for coherence. Lack of childhood memories and/or idealization of caregivers are taken as signs of avoidance. Preoccupation with unresolved loss or abuse are taken as signs of anxious attachment. Although there is not a great degree of overlap between self-reports and results of the AAI, they both predict relevant outcomes.