Attachement : Role Of The Father Flashcards
Explain the Role of the Father.
- Traditionally, the role of the father has been seen as one of provider, rather than as one of provider, rather than as an important attachment figure.
- This might explain why historically, attachment researchers have focused their investigations on the role of the mother in the formation of attachment (mother-child attachment).
What are the arguments for whether fathers can take on the role of the primary attachment figure?
> Bowlby argued that the development of a healthy attachment depended on children receiving emotionally sensitive care from their mother, but he did suggest this care could be provided by a ‘mother substitute’ such as a father.
Ainsworth made a similar point when she argued the security of a child’s attachment depended on the emotional sensitivity of the caregiver. Although her claim was based on observations of mothers’ behaviour in the strange situation, her theory left open the possibility that emotionally sensitive fathers could take on the role of the main attachment figure.
What is a challenge to the claim that fathers do not have a role as attachment figures?
Schaffers (1964) study found that after most infants had developed a specific attachment to their mother by around 7 months of age, 75% went onto form an attachment to their fathers by the 18 months. This finding demonstrates that fathers do have a role as attachment figures, and therefore
challenges the claim the traditional view that fathers are merely providers. However, it does also
show that the role of the father is as a secondary attachment figure, as the children’s primary
attachment was to their mother, meaning that although fathers do have an attachment role, it is less
important than the role of the mother. Moreover, 25% of the children in Schaffer’s sample hadn’t formed an attachment to their father, further demonstrating the relatively less important role of fathers in the formation of attachment compared to mothers. Nonetheless, this study was conducted in the 1960s, a time when more traditional gender roles meant that fathers typically had
less involvement as caregivers. Consequently, the finding that the role of the fathers is relegated to that of a secondary attachment figure may not generalise to today’s societies, where many fathers take a more active role in the care of their children. This means Schaffer’s research may lack
temporal validity
How has research from the biological approach challenged the claim that fathers can assume the role of a primary attachment figure?
For example, it is known that men have low levels of the hormone oestrogen than women. In women, increases in oestrogen levels (e.g., during pregnancy and after childbirth) have been linked to an increase in caring behaviour. This might suggest the role of the father is less important for the formation of a secure attachment, as women’s higher oestrogen levels may make them innately better suited to providing the emotionally sensitive behaviour required for the formation of a secure attachment. However, researchers have also found that men exposed to infants may also experience elevated levels of
prolactin, the hormone that stimulates parental behaviour in a variety of birds and mammals. This suggests that when men take on an active fathering role, they experience physiological changes that may make them biologically suited to forming a secure child-father attachment. Regardless, caring
behaviour is complex and is influenced by a range of psychological, social, and environmental factors
beyond hormone levels. This means explanations of the role of the father as an attachment figure
may be overly simplistic if they only focus on levels of hormones.
Why is Research into the role of the father is socially sensitive?
According to Sieber and Stanley, socially sensitive research has the potential for social
consequences both for the participants and for the social groups connected to the research. Researching the role of the father has clear social consequences. For example, research that found fathers cannot act as primary attachment figures may lead to the exclusion of fathers from
the role of main carer. This might lead to stigma against single father households or gay men cofathering children. Moreover, it could have implications for women, who may feel pressured to take
on the role of the traditional stay-at-home mother, rather than returning to the workplace. This also
means research into the role of the father has economic implications, as it could affect the extent to which women are employed in the economy. Sieber and Stanley would probably argue that this
doesn’t mean research into the role of the father should be stopped, but they would likely advise
researchers to be careful in how they phrase their findings, so as to avoid the potential for harmful
interpretations by the public or policy makers
