Lesson 3- The role of the father Flashcards
What bowlby believe about the number of primary attachment figures a child has?
Bowlby believed 👶 have 1 primary attachment figure- usually 🤰 BUT can be father in some cases
What do researchers believe about the relationship fathers have with their children & how does this differ from a mothers relationship?
Researchers see father ⬇️ as a caregiver BUT ⬆️ of a playmate- fathers’ play ⬆️ physical, unpredictable & exciting than mothers’
Provide research that either supports or contradicts with a fathers relationship differing from a mothers relationship
1) Geiger (1996)- showed fathers’ play interactions ⬆️ exciting & pleasurable than 🤰’s- ALSO-🤰 ⬆️ nurturing & affectionate- … supports 💡 of fathers being playmate rather than caregivers
2) BUT- Lamb (1987)- found that 👶 prefer interacting with fathers when in ➕ emotional state & … seeking stimulation whereas 🤰 are preferred when 👶 are distressed 😩 & seeking comfort- … ALSO supports idea of fathers as playmates BUT only in certain conditions
What are the 4 factors which affect the relationship between a father and child?
1) Degree of intimacy
2) Type of attachment with own parents
3) Marital intimacy
4) Supporting co-parenting
How does the degree of sensitivity affect the relationship between fathers & children & what evidence is their to support?
Degree of sensitivity- ⬆️ secure attachments are found with fathers who are ⬆️ sensitive to their 👶
- Lucassen et al. (2011)- performed meta-analysis (statistical results combined from several scientific 🧪 studies)- found that ⬆️ levels of sensitivity associated with ⬆️ levels of infant-father attachment security- supports 💡 that fathers can form close attachments with infants based on sensitive caregiving
How does the type of attachment with own parents affect the relationship between fathers & children?
Type of attachment with own parents- the better the quality of attachment with own parents, the better the attachment with 👶
How does marital intimacy affect the relationship between fathers & children & what evidence is their to support?
Marital intimacy- degree of intimacy father has with partner affects type of attachment with 👶
- Belsky et al. (2009)- found that ⬆️ marital intimacy related to secure father-infant attachment & ⬇️ marital intimacy related to insecure father-infant attachments
How does being a supporting co-parent affect the relationship between fathers & children & what evidence is their to support?
Supporting co-parenting- amount of support father gives to partner in helping to care for 👶 affects type of attachment with 👶
- Brown et al. (2010)- assessed attachment patterns in 68 families- found that ⬆️ supportive co-parenting related to secure attachment types between infants & fathers BUT ✖️ between infants & mothers … supportive parenting important for fathers to develop ➕ attachments with 👶
What are the evaluation points of the role of the father?
👎- inconsistent findings on fathers- research confusing because different researchers interested in different Q- some want to investigate role of father as secondary attachment figure & some as primary … difficult to answer question (what is role of father?)
👍- fathers important for 🤰 as well as 👶- fathers who help with childcare allow 🤰 to have time ⏰ for themselves-> ⬇️ stress, ⬆️ self-esteem & allows mothers interact well with 👶
👎- fathers ✖️ generally primary attachment- traditional gender roles- 👩 expected be ⬆️ caring & nurturing than 👨 … fathers ✖️ feel they should act like that- ALSO- could be that female hormones (oestrogen) create ⬆️ levels of nurturing & … 👩 biologically ⬆️ likely to be primary attachment
👍- children with secure attachments with fathers have good peer relationships, ⬇️ problem 🏃♂ & ⬆️ able to control emotions- illustrates ➕ influence of fathers
BUT Children ✖️ fathers do ⬇️ well at school 🏫 & show ⬆️ levels of risk-taking & aggression 😡 … fathers help prevent ➖ developmental outcomes
