Developmental Psychology
Denise Daniel
AP Psychology
10/8
Developmental Psychologist
Mary Ainsworh was born in Glendale Ohio in 1913 and she was the oldest of three girls.
(McLeod 2008) When Mary was five years old she moved to Canada. At fifteen Ainsworth read
William McDougall’s “ Character and conduct of life” which inspired her to choose a career in
Psychology. Later on in life she attended the University of Toronto where she was one out of four to complete with an honors degree in psychology in 1929. (McLeod 2008) William E.
Blatz’s work on child development sparked her interest and agreed to write her dissertation with his theory. After she was done with college she then joined the Canadian Women 's Army Corps in 1942(McLeod 2008). In 1950 she married Leonard Ainsworth, but married only lasted ten years ending in 1960. The end of her marriage led her to depression and she need long term psychological therapy. In 1963 Ainsworth became a full time professor after one year beginning the research that she is now famous for. (McLeod 2008) Twenty years, in 1975, later she left for another position in West Virginia where stay is until her retirement in 1984. Ainsworth then died at the age of 86 in 1999. (McLeod 2008)
Mary Ainsworth is most famous for her theory of attachment. She begin her major study in 1970. Ainsworth came up with an assessment that explained how attachment might vary between children, called strange situation classification, SSC. Through her experiments using
SSC she was able to find three distinct styles of attachment that included one of secure attachment and the other two insecure attachments; she then identified these attachments as:
Secure, avoidant, and resistant. 70% of infants have secure attachment. When dealing with separation anxiety the infant will feel distressed when the mother leaves. When dealing with stranger anxiety the infant will be avoidant of strangers when alone but friendly when the mother is around. Lastly when dealing
AP Psychology
10/8
Developmental Psychologist
Mary Ainsworh was born in Glendale Ohio in 1913 and she was the oldest of three girls.
(McLeod 2008) When Mary was five years old she moved to Canada. At fifteen Ainsworth read
William McDougall’s “ Character and conduct of life” which inspired her to choose a career in
Psychology. Later on in life she attended the University of Toronto where she was one out of four to complete with an honors degree in psychology in 1929. (McLeod 2008) William E.
Blatz’s work on child development sparked her interest and agreed to write her dissertation with his theory. After she was done with college she then joined the Canadian Women 's Army Corps in 1942(McLeod 2008). In 1950 she married Leonard Ainsworth, but married only lasted ten years ending in 1960. The end of her marriage led her to depression and she need long term psychological therapy. In 1963 Ainsworth became a full time professor after one year beginning the research that she is now famous for. (McLeod 2008) Twenty years, in 1975, later she left for another position in West Virginia where stay is until her retirement in 1984. Ainsworth then died at the age of 86 in 1999. (McLeod 2008)
Mary Ainsworth is most famous for her theory of attachment. She begin her major study in 1970. Ainsworth came up with an assessment that explained how attachment might vary between children, called strange situation classification, SSC. Through her experiments using
SSC she was able to find three distinct styles of attachment that included one of secure attachment and the other two insecure attachments; she then identified these attachments as:
Secure, avoidant, and resistant. 70% of infants have secure attachment. When dealing with separation anxiety the infant will feel distressed when the mother leaves. When dealing with stranger anxiety the infant will be avoidant of strangers when alone but friendly when the mother is around. Lastly when dealing
Cited: Isom, Margaret Delores. "Albert Bandura." Albert Bandura. N.p., 30 Nov. 1998. Web. 08 Oct. 2012. <http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/bandura.htm>. MacKay, J. (2010). Profile of Bonnie Strickland. In A. Rutherford (Ed.), Psychology 's Feminist Voices Multimedia Internet Archive. Retrieved from http://www.feministvoices.com/bonnie-strickland/ Young, J McLeod, S. A. (2008). Mary Ainsworth | Attachment Styles. Retrieved from http:// www.simplypsychology.org/mary-ainsworth.html McLeod, S. A. (2011). Bobo Doll Experiment. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/ bobo-doll.html Medea, Andra. "Carol Gilligan." Jewish Women: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia. 1 March 2009. Jewish Women 's Archive. (Viewed on October 8, 2012) <http://jwa.org/encyclopedia/article/gilligan-carol>. Baumrind, Diana Kemp, Hendrika Vande. "Diana Blumberg Baumrind (1927-)." Biography of Diana Blumberg Baumrind. N.p., n.d. Web. 08 Oct. 2012. <http://www.apadivisions.org/division-35/about/heritage/diana-baumrind-biography.aspx>. Barber, Brian K Rana, Himmat. "Sigmund Freud." Psychology History. N.p., May 1997. Web. 08 Oct. 2012. <http://www.muskingum.edu/~psych/psycweb/history/freud.htm>.