Role of the father Flashcards
What is a strength of this research?
It has practical applications
What are the practical applications of this theory?
Field found that responsiveness to the child’s needs, not gender, is most important when forming attachments which can be used to advise parents. Where mothers usually feel pressured to stay at home and fathers going back to work because of stereotypes, parents can now make a decision economically on who will bring the biggest income into the home.
What do the practical applications reduce?
Parental anxiety - and shows research into the role of the father is an important part of applied psychology
What is a potential criticism of Grossman’s research?
He found that fathers as a secondary figure where important for play and stimulation however Macallum found that children growing up in a single-mother or lesbian parent family do not develop any differently from two parent heterosexual families.
What is a counter point to the criticism of Grossman’s research?
Perhaps single mother or lesbian parent families adapted to accommodate the role played by the fathers- suggesting when a father is present they do adopt a distinctive role but families are able to adapt
What basis could perhaps suggested Grossman’s findings?
Biological basis
What could be suggested about female hormones?
Oestrogen perhaps creates higher levels of nurturing and therefore women are biologically predisposed to be the primary attachment figure for children
What do men produce hormonally?
Testosterone which is not associated with caring and nurturing, perhaps suggesting that the fathers role is less important like Grossman said - showing there are several explanations to consider
