Mary Dinsmore Ainsworth (née Salter, 1913–1999) was an American-Canadian developmental psychologist who made foundational contributions to the field of attachment theory. Born in Glendale, Ohio, Ainsworth spent most of her childhood in Toronto, Canada, and earned her BA, MA, and PhD in psychology from the University of Toronto
The Strange Situation experiment, developed by Mary Ainsworth in the late 1960s, revolutionized the study of attachment and laid the foundation for a systematic, observational method to assess the quality of infant-caregiver attachment
This article looks into the basic family relationship, as driven by our genetic need for connection, support, nurturing and protection. We then propose a typical dysfunctional scenario, based on parents that are avoidant of that connection. It proposes that this scenario will result in children that will include a scapegoat, who may well develop C-PTSD based Stockholm Syndrome, before they are old enough to verbalise their long-term abuse. It also introduces a new term – Puppy-dog Syndrome, to describe one of the observable behaviours of children that have had this childhood.