Mary

Ainsworth

By. Gracy Hacking

Bio / Schooling
Born on December 1,1913 and died March 21, 1999. She was born in Glendale, OH and
died in Charleston, VA. She was married ten years to Leonard Ainsworth.

Mary studied at the University of Toronto at the age of 16. She was one of only five
students to make it into honors psychology! She had her bachelor's at age 35. After
that she continued to study at the University of Toronto. She earned her masters in
1936 and the her PhD in 1939.
Early work
While she was attending graduate school she mentored William E. Blatz. While mentoring Blatz he was
focusing on Security theories.

The theory was based on the dependence of parents, different relationships with parents, and the quality of
a future partner.

She later returned to the University of Toronto.

Her work with bowlby
Mary worked with a man named John Bowlby. They had came up with a theory called, Child care and the
birth of love.(1965) The theory is the observation and assistant of child and caregiver.

Mary called the theory, The Strange Situation. Also known as the Attachment theory.

During her time working with Bowlby the first thought it was an all or nothing process then they came to
realize it all depends on the individual. They soon realized it was easier to study the theory in infants.
Continues her work
She found that it is easy to tell when you are attached to someone because of the way you feel about them.
When you are a child you can not express yourself in words you use your actions to show how you feel. As
an adult you have an easier way to express how you feel using your words.
Strange Situation
The experiment for this was done with 12-18 month old infants. During this she would put the child and the
caregiver in a room together with a one way mirror and observe the way the infant acted. After a certain
amount of time she would have the caregiver leave and observe the way the infant then acted.

Ainsworth made a scoring system that would tell which attachment the infant had. The scoring was based
on four different interactions. They are 1. Proximity and contacting seeking, 2. Contact maintaining, 3.
Avoidance of proximity and contact, and 4. Resistance to contact and comforting.

Steps to the Strange Situation are on the next page.

Continues of The Strange
Situation
Steps:

1. Caregiver and infant are introduced to the experimental room.

2. Caregiver and infant are left alone. Caregiver does not participate while infant plays and explores.
3. Stranger enters, converses with parent, then approaches infant. Caregiver leaves inconspicuously.
4. First separation episode: Stranger's adjusts his behavior to that of the infant.
5. First reunion episode: Caregiver greets and comforts the infant, then leaves again.
6. Second separation episode: Infant is left alone.
7. Continuation of second separation episode: Stranger enters and again adjusts his behavior to that of the infant.
8. Second reunion episode: Parent enters, greets infant, and picks up infant; stranger leaves inconspicuously.
Three types of attachment
1.Secure Attachment

2.Anxious-Ambivalent insecure attachment.

3.Anxious-Avoidant insecure attachment.

Secure attachment.
Mary found the the child will have a secure attachment to the caregiver when he/she is present and then
when the caregiver is no longer in the room the child will being to act out until the caregiver returns to the
room, but if someone other than the caregiver enters the room the child will still act out.

Example: a child throwing a fit when the caregiver leaves for a second and then when back they stop crying.
Anxious-ambivalent
insecure Attachment
This is also known as Anxious-resistant insecure attachment.

This is when the child becomes extremely distressed when the caregiver is apart from them. As the
caregiver is away the child will keep distant from others. And then when the caregiver has returned the child
will have a high sense of needing to be close to the caregiver.

Ex. The man is

leaving and the
lady is getting
upset by it.
Anxious-Avoidant insecure
attachment
The child will avoid contact with the caregiver , strangers, and other family when the depart and return.
They will tend to stick to themselves. As many children show emotion when this attachment is present the
child has little to no emotion.

Ex. The child is

avoiding contact it
his mother
The conclusion of The
Theory.
Ainsworth discovered that a lot has to do with the type of parenting skills the caregiver gives to the child.

Mothers who are sensitive are more than likely to go and care for the child's needs and do whatever they
can to please the child. So that causes the child to be more sensitive to the caregiver. Mothers who are less
sensitive have children that are more than likely going to distance himself/herself from the group and
caregiver. The child will grow up to have very little emotions
Ressource
1.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Ainsworth

2.http://www.childdevelopmentmedia.com/articles/mary-ainsworth-an
d-attachment-theory/
3.https://www.simplypsychology.org/mary-ainsworth.html