ATTACHMENT : Role of the Father Flashcards
most attachment research focuses on
mother and baby attchment
the role of the father in the developmentof atachment is often
neglected
However there is research on the specific ,
roles fathers play in development
Tell me about the disclaimer about the ‘father’
it doesnt specifically refer to
doesn’t specifically refer to the babies biological father but rather the babies closest male caregiver
What is the most basic question about the role of the father in attachment.
whether babies actually attach to tehm and if so when
What does available evidence suggest about fathers and their likelihood for attahcment
fathers less likely to become baby’ first attachment figure compared to mother’s
Schaffer and Emerson found that the majority of babies first became attahced to their x at x montsh
babies first became attached to their mothers at 7 months
S&E In how many cases was the father the sole object of attachment
3%
In how many cases was the father the joint first object of attachment with the mother
27%
However it appears that most fathers go on to become
important attachment figures
what % of babies formed an attachment with who by what age
75% of babies formd an attachment with their father by 18 months of age
75% of babies formed an attachment with their father by 18 years old - how was this determined
fact babies protested when their father walked away- a sign of attahcment - seperation anxiety?
(from schaffer and emerson study)
DISTINCTIVE ROLE FOR FATHERS - whats the other research question
whether a father’s attachment holds specific value in a childs development
if so whether it plays different role in a child’s development in attahcmen to mother
DISTINCTIVE ROLE FOR FATHERS - what type of study did Grossman et al carry out
longitudinal
DISTINCTIVE ROLE FOR FATHERS - what did grossman et al study
babies attachments until they were in their teens
DISTINCTIVE ROLE FOR FATHERS - what did researchers from grossman et al look at
parent’s behaviour
and it’s relationship to quality of baby’s later attachments to others
DISTINCTIVE ROLE FOR FATHERS - what did grossman et al find
quality of baby’s attachment with mother but not father was related to attachment in adolescence
DISTINCTIVE ROLE FOR FATHERS - what does the finding that ‘a baby’s attachmento motehr but not father was related to attachment in adolescence’ mean
attachment to father less important than that to mothers
DISTINCTIVE ROLE FOR FATHERS - what else did Grossman et al find to do with fathers
quality of play with babies related to quality of adolescent attachments
DISTINCTIVE ROLE FOR FATHERS - grossman et al found that ‘quality of fathers play with babies related to quality of attchment in adolescence’ what does this suggest
fathers have different role from mothers
one thats more to do with play and stimulation rather than emotional development
FATHERS AS PRIMARY ATTACHMENT FIGURES - There is a distinction between
primary and secondary attachment figures
FATHERS AS PRIMARY ATTACHMENT FIGURES - Why is their more to the primary caregiver role than just being first
a baby’s primary attchment has sprecial emotional significance
FATHERS AS PRIMARY ATTACHMENT FIGURES - a baby’s primary attachment forms …
basis of later close emotional relationships
FATHERS AS PRIMARY ATTACHMENT FIGURES - interstingly there is evidence to suggest that when fathers do take on the role of a primary caregiver….
they’re able to adopt the emotional role typically associated with mothers
FATHERS AS PRIMARY ATTACHMENT FIGURES - in one study tiffany field ..
filmed 4 month olds in face2 face interactions
with primary caregiver mothers , primary father caregivers and secondary caregiver fathers
FATHERS AS PRIMARY ATTACHMENT FIGURES - primary carregiver mothers and fathers spent more time ..?
smiling, imitating and holding babies than secondary caregiver fathers
FATHERS AS PRIMARY ATTACHMENT FIGURES - smiling, reciprocity and holding are all a part of
reciprocity and interactional synchrony - all a part of forming attachment
FATHERS AS PRIMARY ATTACHMENT FIGURES - so it seems fathers have the potential to be
the more emotion focused primary attachment figure
FATHERS AS PRIMARY ATTACHMENT FIGURES - so why does it seem that fathers have the potential to be the more emotional focused primary attachment figure
able to provide responsiveness needed for close emotional attachment
only expressed when given role of a primary caregiver
