Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsEarly LifeStrange Situation AssessmentAttachment TheoryContributions to Psychology

Table of ContentsView All

View All

Table of Contents

Early Life

Strange Situation Assessment

Attachment Theory

Contributions to Psychology

Close

Based on her research, she identified three major styles of attachment that children have to their parents or caregivers. In a 2002 review ranking the most eminent psychologists of the twentieth century, Ainsworth was listed as the 97th most influential psychologist, based on the frequency of journal citation, introductory psychology textbook citation, and survey response.

Mary Ainsworth: At a GlanceBirth: December 1, 1913Death: March 21, 1999Best Known For: Research onattachment theoryand the development of the “Strange Situation” assessment.

Mary Ainsworth: At a Glance

Birth: December 1, 1913Death: March 21, 1999Best Known For: Research onattachment theoryand the development of the “Strange Situation” assessment.

Birth: December 1, 1913

Death: March 21, 1999

Best Known For: Research onattachment theoryand the development of the “Strange Situation” assessment.

Mary Ainsworth was born in Glendale, Ohio. When she was 15, she read William McDougall’s bookCharacter and the Conduct of Life, which inspired her lifelong interest in psychology.

She attended the University of Toronto in the honors psychology program. After earning her BA in 1935, her MA in 1936, and her PhD in 1939, she spent several years teaching at the University of Toronto before joining the Canadian Women’s Army Corp in 1942.

The Strange Situation Assessment

After returning to the U.S., Ainsworth took a position at John Hopkins University. She divorced in 1960 and underwent therapy that contributed to her interest inpsychoanalytic theory.

While teaching at John Hopkins, she began working on creating an assessment to measure attachments between mothers and children. It was here that she developed her famous “Strange Situation” assessment, in which a researcher observes a child’s reactions when a mother briefly leaves her child alone in an unfamiliar room.

According to Ainsworth, the way the child behaves during the separation and upon the mother’s return can reveal important information about attachment.

In her study, children between the ages of 12 and 18 months were briefly left alone in a room while the researchers observed their reactions. They were observed when the parent and child were together, when a stranger entered the room, when the parent briefly left the room, and when the parent returned.

Based on her observations and research, Ainsworth concluded that there were three main styles of attachment:

Since these initial findings, her work has spawned countless studies into the nature of attachment and the differentattachment stylesbetween children and caregivers.

What’s Your Attachment Style? Take the Free Quiz

Major Contributions to Psychology

Mary Ainsworth’s research on attachment has played an important role in our understanding of child development. In addition to Ainsworth’s three styles, other researchers identified a fourth style known as disorganized-insecure attachment.

Ainsworth’s work also inspired a great deal of research on the impact these early attachment styles continue to have throughout life.

While these styles change with time and experience, researchers believe that childhood attachment styles influence adult romantic attachments. Adults with a secure romantic attachment style tend to have lasting relationships and believe love is enduring. Those with aninsecure romantic attachment stylebelieve that love is more temporary.

While her work is not without controversies, such as the extent to which early attachment styles contribute to later behavior, her observations have inspired an enormous body of research on early childhood attachment.

Takeaway

Mary Ainsworth was a significant figure in the field of developmental psychology. Her research and development of the Strange Situation Assessment helped psychologists further explore the importance of early childhood attachments in child development. Her work also inspired further exploration of how early relationships continue to shape interpersonal attachments throughout life.

10 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Main, M.Mary D. Salter Ainsworth: Tribute and portrait.Psychoanalytic Inquiry. 1999;19(5):682-736. doi:10.1080/07351699909534273

Haggbloom SJ, Warnick R, Warnick JE, et al.The 100 most eminent psychologists of the 20th century.Review of General Psychology. 2002;6(2):139-152. doi:10.1037/1089-2680.6.2.139

O’Connell AN, ed.Models of Achievement: Reflections of Eminent Women in Psychology, Vol 2. 1st ed. New York, NY: Erlbaum; 1988.

Bretherton I.Mary Ainsworth: Insightful observer and courageious theoretician. In Kimble GA, Wertheimer M, American Psychological Association.Portraits of Pioneers in Psychology, Vol. 5. Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum; 1991.

Cassidy J, Jones JD, Shaver PR.Contributions of attachment theory and research: a framework for future research, translation, and policy.Dev Psychopathol. 2013;25(4 Pt 2):1415-1434. doi:10.1017/S0954579413000692

Cassidy J, Jones JD, Shaver PR.Contributions of attachment theory and research: a framework for future research, translation, and policy.Dev Psychopathol. 2013;25(4 Pt 2):1415-34. doi:10.1017/S0954579413000692

Hong YR, Park JS.Impact of attachment, temperament and parenting on human development. Korean J Pediatr. 2012;55(12):449-54. doi:10.3345/kjp.2012.55.12.449

Landa S, Duschinsky R.Letters from Ainsworth: contesting the ‘organization’ of attachment.J Can Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2013;22(2):172-177.

Duschinsky R.The emergence of the disorganized/disoriented (D) attachment classification, 1979-1982.Hist Psychol. 2015;18(1):32-46.doi: 10.1037/a0038524

Meet Our Review Board

Share Feedback

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit

What is your feedback?