PAPER 1 - Attachment - The role of the father Flashcards
What are the key features of the role of a father?
Less of a caregiver and more as a playmate. This is because father’s play is often more physical, unpredictable and exciting than mothers.
Mothers have often been seen to show more sensitive responsiveness but males can also quickly develop this ability when taking on the role of main care provider.
What did Geiger (1996) research on the father’s role as a playmate?
The way fathers play with their children is more exciting and pleasurable than mothers. This supports the view of the father as a playmate.
What did Lamb (1987) research on the father’s role as a playmate?
Children often interact with their fathers when in a positive emotional state and so are seeking stimulation rather than comfort
What did Hardy (1999) research on the father’s role as a playmate?
Fathers are less able than mothers to detect low levels of infant distress, suggesting that males make unsuitable primary attachment figures.
What are the 4 factors of father-child dynamic?
The degree of sensitivity
Single-parent fathers
Marital intimacy
Supportive co-parenting
Explain the factor of the degree of sensitivity in the father-child dynamic.
Fathers who are sensitive to their child’s needs develop more secure attachments.
Explain the factor of the single-parent fathers in the father-child dynamic.
They tend to form similar attachments with their children as they had with their own parents.
Explain the factor of the marital intimacy in the father-child dynamic.
The type of attachment a father develops with his children is related to the level of intimacy he has with his partner.
Explain the factor of the supportive co-parenting in the father-child dynamic.
The level of support a father provides his partner in helping care for children affects the type of attachment he’ll have with his children.
Fill in the blanks: The implications of father-child implications:
Children with ___ attachments to their fathers go on to have better relationships with ___ and less problem behaviour generally.
Children with secure attachments to their fathers are better able to ___ their emotions.
Those children who ___ up without the presence of a ___ have been found to do less well at ___ and have higher levels of risk-taking and ___, especially in ___, suggesting that fathers can help prevent negative developmental outcomes.
secure, peers, regulate, grow, father, school, aggression, boys
Evaluate research in the role of the father.
Pedersen (1979) - outcomes could be due to socio-economic background, as many studies have focused on female single mothers and poorer families.
Evidence suggests that fathers are just as capable of displaying sensitive responsiveness and form the same secure attachments with children as mothers, but many social conventions still see fathers differently.
The amount of interaction between father and children is important; but it could be that more sensitive fathers interact more with the children
