Mary Ainsworth (1913-1999)

Early Life
Ainsworth was raised in Canada as the oldest of four girls. After her birth in Glendale, Ohio her family relocated to Canada for employment. Both her father and mother were Dickinson College graduates and placed significant emphasis on proper education. Ainsworth graduated from high school eager to pursue her degree in psychology and enrolled in the University of Toronto in 1929. There she earned both her Bachelor’s and her Ph.D. before she chose to enlist in the Canadian Women’s Army Corp during World War II. By the year 1945, Ainsworth had risen to the rank of Major within the Corps.

Professional Life
Ainsworth left the Corps to return to teaching in Toronto. Shortly after, she moved to London with her husband Leonard Ainsworth, so that he could pursue his degree from University College. Ainsworth taught in various capacities and began her long standing relationship with the University of Virginia in 1975. She remained at the University until her retirement.

During her time in England, Ainsworth was invited to participate in research at Tavistock Clinic. The research focused on examining the effects that interference with the mother and child bond have on the development of the child. The findings revealed that when a bond between mother and child is broken, the child is at risk for developmental challenges. Ainsworth later went to Africa and worked with colleagues there to continue her exploration into the significance of the mother-child bond.

Contribution to Psychology
Ainsworth later developed a Strange Situation which is a technique used to examine the pattern of attachment between a child and their mother or caregiver. This method of measuring the child’s specific attachment characteristics is highly respected and well established and variations of it are used throughout the clinical world of psychiatry and psychology today. The procedure is characterized by an observation phase and an assessment phase. During the observation phase, the clinician places both the mother figure and child in a secure environment and allows them to interact to the point of familiarity with their surroundings. A stranger is introduced into the environment and interacts with the child, while the parent leaves the room. When the parent returns, the child and parent are reunited and the stranger exits. After this point, the parent exits, leaving the child alone. During that time, the stranger enters again, interacts with the child, and the parent returns. The stranger leaves again and the parent and child are left alone to interact.

The child’s behavior is examined and assessed throughout this exercise. There are four key elements of behavior that are examined with respect to the child:

1. How much does the child explore his or her surroundings?
2. What is the child’s reaction when the parent leaves?
   
3. Does the child express any anxiety with the introduction of the stranger when the child is alone?
4. The behavior of the child when interacting with the parent is assessed.

The results of this experiment have been categorized into four specific types of attachment:

1. Secure Attachment: This is displayed when a child is very attached to the mother. This child will explore and engage with others when the mother is present, however, when the mother leaves, this child will become agitated. If alone with the stranger, the child will avoid contact with the stranger.
2. Anxious-Resistant Insecure Attachment: This child displays elevated anxiety when the stranger is introduced to the environment, even while the mother is there. However, the child will not freely explore the surroundings and becomes visibly agitated and distressed when the mother exits. When the mother re-enters the environment, the child appears resentful and unreceptive to the mother’s attempts at interactions. Often this child will try to move away from the mother when she returns.
3. Anxious-Avoidant Insecure Attachment: This child will display ambivalence when the mother is present or not present. This child rarely clings to the caregiver and often refuses to be held. The child will avoid exploration and displays similar ambivalence toward strangers when they enter the environment.
4. Disorganized/Disoriented Attachment: A child that falls into this category may appear distressed when the mother exits and show immediate relief upon her return. However, the child may not want to be held or may exhibit anger once the mother approaches. This child may also exhibit repetitive behaviors, such as hitting or rocking. Further research revealed that more than half of the mothers with a child who fell into this category had suffered a trauma immediately before the birth of the child and had developed depression as a result of that trauma.

Books by Mary Ainsworth

• Child Care and the Growth of Love (with John Bowlby, 1965)
• Infancy in Uganda (1967)
• Patterns of Attachment (with M. Blehar, E. Waters, & S. Wall, 1978)

Quote by Mary Ainsworth