Role Of The Father Flashcards
What is role of the father?
For the purpose of attachment, a father is considered to be a child’s closest male caregiver, not necessarily the biological male parent.
What does research tell us?
Research tells us that fathers are much less likely to be a babies first attachment figure compared to mothers.
Schaffer and Emerson found that fathers are the first attachment figure just 3% of the time!
They also found that fathers were the joint first object of attachment with the mother in 27% of the time.
So when do babies form attachments with fathers?
S+E found that by 18 months, 75% of babies had formed an attachment with their father
Demonstrated by signs of separation anxiety/protest when the father left.
Who are Grossman et al (2002) what did they do?
Grossman et al (2002) carried out a longitudinal study where babies attachments were studied until they were teenagers.
Grossman et al
Aim?
The researchers looked at both parents’ behaviour and its relationship to the quality of their baby’s later attachments to other people.
Grossman et al findings?
Quality of a baby’s attachment to mothers was directly related to attachments in adolescence. Quality of attachment to fathers was not
Grossman et al conclusions?
CONCLUSION: Attachment to fathers is less important than attachment to mothers.
However what did Grossman et al also find?
Grossman et al also found that the quality of fathers’ play with babies was directly related to the quality of adolescent attachments.
What does this tell us about the role of fathers in attachment, compared to mothers?
Their role is more closely related to play and stimulation, and less to do with emotional development.
A baby’s primary attachment has special?
First specific attachment (Stage 3) = primary attachment
Later attachments (Stage 4) = secondary attachments.
A baby’s primary attachment has special emotional significance.
The relationship a baby has with their first primary attachment figure forms the basis of all later close relationships
What did Tiffany Field do?
Tiffany Field (1978) filmed 4-month old babies in face-to-face interaction with primary caregiver mothers (PCM), secondary caregiver fathers (SCF) and primary caregiver fathers (PCF). PCF spent more time smiling, imitating and holding babies (like PCM), more than SCF did.
What did Tiffany Fields research tell us?
Fathers do have the potential to be the more emotion-focused primary attachment figure
They can provide the responsiveness required for a close emotional attachment
Possibly only expressed when they are in the role of primary caregiver.
Limitations of role of the father?
One limitation of research into role of fathers is the lack of clarity over the question being asked.
A further limitation of researchinto the role of fathers is that findings vary according to methodology used.
Strengths of role of the father?
One strength of research intothe roleof the father is that it can be usedto offer advice to parents.
