Patterns of Attachment: A Psychological Study of the Strange Situation

Psychology Press & Routledge Classic Editions

by Mary D. Salter Ainsworth

First published in 1979. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Classics, Relationships

Loose Leaf

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Mary Dinsmore Ainsworth (née Salter) was an American-Canadian developmental psychologist known for her work in the development of the attachment theory. She designed the strange situation procedure to observe early emotional attachment between a child and their primary caregiver.

Reviews

[Louise Sullivan]

This is an important book regarding attachment theory. Ainsworth follows Bowlby in grounding Attachment Theory. Her introduction of The Strange Situation details how this research was developed. This is not an easy to read book and would not be one that I would recommend as a first book about attachment theory.

[Robert Simmons]

MFT Review

Repetitive but insightful. There’s a lot of scientific procedures I would gloss over. The end of the book is most helpful.

[Andrei Gheorghe]

Ok I haven't read this fully just the basic stuff.