Ainsworth (Mary Ainsworth)

Mary Ainsworth was a psychologist known for her work on childhood attachment styles. She studied how babies form emotional bonds with their caregivers, primarily through her "Strange Situation" experiment, where she observed how infants reacted to separations and reunions. Her research identified different attachment patterns—secure, insecure-avoidant, and insecure-ambivalent—that influence behavior and relationships later in life. Ainsworth’s work helps us understand the importance of responsive caregiving in healthy emotional development and provides insight into the ways early experiences shape long-term social and emotional well-being.