Mary Ainsworth, the psychologist who vindicated the figure of women through research – Online Psychologists

At the beginning of any discipline, knowledge used to be reserved for men. The big names in science are often male, for the simple reason that there were not many women capable of coping with all the additional obstacles that being a woman entailed until very recently. However, There have always been women who stood outwith an undeniable talent, which made the task of keeping them aside, immersed in the shadows projected by the great male figures, extremely complicated.

This is the case of Mary Ainsworth, an American psychologist who, not content with studying at a time when it was common for women to only aspire to be housewives, became one of the most renowned researchers in the field of psychology. Two decades after her death in 1999, her discoveries have laid the foundations for much modern psychological research. It was she who, together with John Bowlby, He stated the fundamental principles of attachment theory.

Mary Ainsworth traveled the world almost as much as her research: although she was born in the United States, in the state of Ohio, she soon moved to Toronto, Canada. There, At the University of Toronto, he studied psychology and also received his PhD in Developmental Psychology.It was also there that she began her career as a university professor, although her life, like that of so many others, took a 180º turn in the early 1940s.

In 1939, when the Germans invaded Poland, Canada was one of the nations that decided to declare war on Germany. In 1942, Mary Ainsworth joined the Canadian Army.more specifically the Canadian Women's Army Corps: although this branch of the army never fought, their work was very important, as they served as mechanics, secretaries, consultants… In short, the women of the Canadian Army held down its bases so that the men could fight. Mary Ainsworth finished the war with the rank of Major and soon left the Army to return to teaching psychology.

Later, Mary Ainsworth traveled to London, where He began working hand in hand with John Bowlby, father of attachment theory.Bowlby enunciated the principle of attachment, which explains the relationship of children with their caregivers, whom they see as a protective figure that allows them to explore the world. Based on this, Mary Ainsworth established three types of attachmentwhich he studied using his “Strange Situation” method.

Although all children are ready for seek security and support from their caregiversespecially in the case of the mother, not all of them develop the same type of attachment. We call attachment the bond that unites a child with his caregivers; the way in which the child relates to the world and to others will depend largely on the characteristics of this bond, even once he or she reaches adulthood.

Thanks to Mary Ainsworth's studies they were able to establish themselves three different types of attachmentbased on the way the child explored the world. The types of attachment are:

Secure attachment occurs in children who They see their parents or caregivers as an effective source of protection. Therefore, in their presence they feel safe enough to play and explore freely the world around them, knowing that, when in danger, they will be there to take care of them. When they feel unprotected, far from their caregivers, children with secure attachment become inconsolable, burst into tears and become nervous. However, it is enough for them to return and establish contact with their caregivers for the child to calm down and resume playing.

If you want to establish a secure attachment bond with your children, you will need to respond diligently to your needs. Securely attached children have help when they ask for it, which allows them to establish a healthy relationship with their parents, as well as certain desirable qualities: security and trust.

As these children grow older, they will have a better chance of establishing healthy relationships and managing their daily lives without too many difficulties. Secure attachment is necessary to develop high and stable self-esteemsince children who know that their parents will be there to help them grow up being less dependent, since they see themselves capable of doing things without fear of difficulties.

In contrast to secure attachment, Mary Ainsworth established two types of insecure attachment. One of them, avoidant attachment, occurred in children who, In the presence of their caregivers, they were absolutely indifferent.They explored their surroundings and played, but they did so without the parents' involvement. When the caregiver disappeared, the children were more resilient than those with secure attachment, and when the caregiver returned, they remained impassive and even avoided contact. Some did cry, but they continued to cry when the parents returned, even more disconsolately than before.

Children with avoidant attachment grow up in an environment where their needs are ignored, so their brain learns, in one of its earliest states, that No matter how much you cry, you won't get help.Since a protective bond is not established between the child and his caregiver, the child learns to keep his distance to avoid the anguish that would come from looking for the caregiver and not getting a response.

As adults, children who have developed avoidant attachment may come to believe that they do not deserve affection or care, which can lead them to develop low self-esteem. Since they did not see their emotional needs met in their earliest childhood, it will be difficult for them to understand their own feelings and respond to them. Lack of trust in others can lead them to be lonely people with difficulty in relating both with others and with the world around them.

The other type of insecure attachment enunciated by Mary Ainsworth is ambivalent attachment. When their parents were present they were distressed, always worried about the possibility of their parents disappearing. They hardly played, more caregiver figure earrings that of what surrounded them. When he left, their grief increased, due to the uncertainty caused by not knowing if he would return. However, when the caretaker returned, they were distrustful and somewhat angry: the figure of their parents did not bring them comfort.

Children with ambivalent attachment develop in an environment where parents come and go, caring for them inconsistently: in response to their needs, Parents will be very attentive at times, and ignore them at other times. In this way, when faced with danger, they become anxious, unable to predict whether they will receive help this time or whether they will have to face the problems alone.

Adults who as children established an ambivalent attachment with their parents will surely develop a very unstable low self-esteemwhich will depend on their relationships with others. That is, since they did not receive unconditional love, it is difficult for them to believe they deserve it and, in the absence of it, they will intuit that it is their fault. In this way, it is very certain that they can reach develop emotional dependence with those around them, which can lead them to take refuge in toxic relationships full of jealousy, because they will never know if those around them will stay for long.

Mary Ainsworth established her three types of attachment thanks to an experiment she called «The strange situation»The tests involved children around one year old and one of their caregivers, who was usually their mother.

In the experiment, The child and the mother entered a room with toys. At first, the mother accompanies her son as he plays and explores that new place, but After a while the mother leaves and the child is left alone for a while. In some tests, another person would enter the room while the mother was with the child, and when the mother left, the child would be left alone with the stranger. After a while, the mother would return and try to comfort her baby.

Depending on their reaction to the absence and return of the mother, three types of attachment were established: children with secure attachment They cried when their mother left, but upon her return they soon found comfort in their motherly figure; the children with avoidant attachment Sometimes they cried when their mother left, but sometimes they did not cry at all and, when she returned, they were cold and distant; finally, the children with ambivalent attachment They cried when their mother left, but were still inconsolable when she returned, nervous in case she would leave again.

The following video reproduces the experiments carried out by Mary Ainsworth in the late 1970s:

Mary Ainsworth was not content with studying the way in which the presence of the maternal figure impacted the well-being of children and their development as adults, but also claimed what is currently known as conciliation.

Ainsworth was aware of how difficult it was for some mothers to do housework, work and care for their children properly. Furthermore, as a woman she knew that many times Having children prevented women from progressing and forced them to depend on their husbands, since they had not had the opportunity to study or work.

That's why, Mary Ainsworth fought for the existence of conciliation plans that allowed mothers to be more than just mothers, without neglecting their children along the way.

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