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Mary Ainsworth

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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.

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