StrangeSituationExperimente

The Strange Situation is a standardized procedure developed by Mary Ainsworth in the 1960s to observe and evaluate the attachment patterns between infants and their caregivers. The experiment involves a series of brief separations and reunions between the infant and caregiver, observed in a laboratory setting. The procedure typically lasts around 20 minutes and consists of eight episodes, each designed to elicit specific behaviors from the infant. These episodes include activities like the caregiver and infant playing together, a stranger entering the room, the caregiver leaving the infant alone, the caregiver returning, and the infant being left alone again before the caregiver's final return.

During these episodes, researchers meticulously observe the infant's reactions. Key behaviors noted include the infant's willingness to explore the environment, their response to the stranger, their protest or distress upon separation from the caregiver, and their behavior upon reunion. The way an infant seeks proximity, contact, and comfort from the caregiver, or their avoidance and resistance of such contact, are crucial indicators.

Based on these observations, Ainsworth identified three primary attachment styles: secure, insecure-avoidant, and insecure-ambivalent (also known as insecure-resistant). Securely attached infants tend to explore freely while the caregiver is present, show distress when the caregiver leaves, and are happy and seek comfort upon their return. Insecure-avoidant infants often show little distress upon separation and may avoid or ignore the caregiver upon reunion. Insecure-ambivalent infants typically display intense distress upon separation and may show anger or ambivalence upon reunion, struggling to be soothed. Later research introduced a fourth category, disorganized attachment. The Strange Situation has been a foundational tool in developmental psychology for understanding early social-emotional development and the long-term implications of attachment.