Role Of The Father

Question 1

What is meant by the key term of The Role of the Father?

Answer 1

• The parts male figures play in regards to children.

Question 2

What is Sensitive Responsiveness?

Answer 2

• The extent to which caregivers can recognise and respond appropriately to an infant’s needs.

Question 3

What are the 3 roles the Father is thought to play as?

Answer 3

• A playmate
• Primary Caregiver
• Secondary attachment

Question 4

Why can Father’s be seen as a playmate?

Answer 4

• Play is often more physical and unpredictable and exciting than mothers.

Question 5

Why can Father’s be seen as a Secondary attachment?

Answer 5

• Schaffer and Emmerson found that most babies attach to their mothers first at around 7 months. In only 3%, the Father was the first sole object of attachment.
• Within a few weeks or months following the primary attachment, infants formed secondary attachments to other family including the Father.

Question 6

Why can the Father be seen as the primary Caregiver?

Answer 6

• They can adopt behaviours of the Mother - includes the emotional role that is more often associated with mothers and includes showing sensitive responsiveness.
• this suggests that the key to attachment is the level of responsiveness and not gender.

Question 7

Evaluate the role of the Father.

Answer 7

• Research suggests that children who grow up without a Father, perform poorly at school, higher levels of risk taking and aggression - indicates that the relationship with the Father is important in later development (Secondary attachment).
• Mothers may feel pressured to stay at home because of stereotypes and Father’s may feel pressured to work, however research suggests that these stereotypes can be ignored and it offers reassuring advice to a socially sensitive topic.