What is emotional permanence?
Emotional permanence is defined as the capacity to believe that others love and care about you even when they’re apart or not actively expressing their love and care. It’s believing that others’ feelings for you are permanent. Emotional permanence increases the sense of trust and security in the relationship.
Emotional permanence is borrowed from object permanence, a developmental milestone people go through when they understand that out of sight doesn’t mean out of reality.1Resnick, A. (2023, November 16). How to develop your sense of emotional permanence. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/emotional-permanence-7963450
Emotional impermanence, the opposite concept, is when you doubt others’ feelings for you when they’re not present or actively expressing them. Emotional impermanence leads to feelings of doubt and abandonment, which in turn leads to unstable relationships.
People with insecure attachment styles, especially the Anxious Preoccupied, are likely to suffer from emotional impermanence.2Perry, E. (2024). Clearing a personalized path to emotional permanence. BetterUp.https://www.betterup.com/blog/emotional-permanence They constantly seek validation and reassurance because they believe that feelings disappear when the person disappears.
About the test
This test consists of 15 items having a Yes/No format. It’s based on the symptoms of emotional permanence. It’s anonymous and free to take. We neither store nor share your data. It’s purely for educational purposes and isn’t meant to be a diagnosis. If you get a low score, it’s recommended that you seek help.