ABSTRACT
The story of the origins of attachment theory would not be complete without the contributions of Mary Salter Ainsworth, known as the co-author of the theory. It was during Ainsworth’s tenure as an undergraduate at the University of Toronto that she met William E. Blatz. Ainsworth’s research eventually led her to formulate the concept of a “secure base” in attachment theory, the bond which provides the springboard for a child to explore the environment when feeling secure. After marrying Leonard Ainsworth in 1950, Ainsworth moved with him to England so that he could enter PhD training at the University of London. Shortly thereafter, she was hired by John Bowlby to work as a developmental researcher at the Tavistock Clinic. In 1963, shortly after having moved to Baltimore, Ainsworth began the Baltimore Study. She revolutionized the study of attachment theory when she devised the Strange Situation.
