The Psychology Book

280

A SENSITIVE MOTHER

CREATES A SECURE

ATTACHMENT

M A R Y A I N S W O R T H ( 1 9 1 3 – 1 9 9 9 )

IN CONTEXT

APPROACH

Attachment theory

BEFORE

1950s John Bowlby

emphasizes the significance

of the mother-child bond.

1959 Harry Harlow’s research

with infant macaque monkeys

demonstrates that they use an

attachment figure as a secure

base from which to explore

their environment.

AFTER

1980 American psychologist

Brian E. Vaughn shows that

the attachment figure may

change, according to

variations in a family’s

circumstances.

1990 American psychologist

Mary Main identifies a fourth

attachment type in young

children—“disorganized”—to

describe an infant who is

fearful of both the environment

and the attachment figure.

I

n the early 1950s, Mary

Ainsworth, working closely

with attachment theorist John

Bowlby, developed a particular

interest in the relationship between

mothers and infants. In 1969, she

experimented with a procedure

that became known as the “Strange

Situation,” which studied how

babies balance their needs for

attachment and exploration under

varying levels of stress. In each

experiment, Ainsworth placed

a mother and her one-year-old baby

in a room with toys for the baby

to play with, and watched their

If he shows intense signs

of distress but resists

contact with her on her

return, the attachment is

anxious-resistant.

If he shows no signs

of distress and a stranger

is able to comfort him,

the attachment is

anxious-avoidant.

When an infant is separated from his mother he displays

one of three different kinds of attachment.

If he is distressed, but upon her return

uses her as a secure base from which to explore,

there is a secure attachment.