Role Of The Father Flashcards
What did Schaffer and Emerson find about the role of the father?
Schaffer and Emerson found that the majority of babies became attached to their mothers first and in only 3% of cases the father was the first sole object of attachment. In 75% of infants studied, an attachment was formed with the father by the age of 18 months.
What did grossman find about the role of the father?
Grossman (2002) carried out a longitudinal study looking at parent’s behaviour and its relationship to the quality of children’s attachments in their teens. The research found that the quality of the attachment with the father was less important for the teen than the quality of attachment with the mother. They concluded that fathers are less important in long term emotional development.
What does bowlby suggest about the role of the father?
most families with young children, the father’s role tends to be different than the mothers. According to Bowlby, a father is more likely to engage in physically active and novel play than the mother and tends to become his child’s preferred play companion. Most infants prefer contact with their father when in a positive emotional state and wanting to play. In contrast most infants prefer contact with their mother when they are distressed and need comforting. This could be explained by biological evidence such as female hormones (such as oestrogen) which underlie caring behaviour and create higher levels of nurturing.
Why is it a limitation that fathers might not have distinct roles?
there is evidence that undermines the idea that fathers have distinct roles and suggests that when fathers do take on the role of being the main caregiver they adopt behaviours more typical of mothers. Lamb (1987) found that fathers who become main care providers seem able to quickly develop more sensitivity to children’s needs and become a safe base from which to explore. Parke observed fathers’ and mothers’ behaviour towards their new-born babies. They found that fathers are not only as interested as the mothers in their babies but they are just as good at understanding the babies’ cues (e.g. crying). These studies therefore indicate that both men and women have the same potential to become primary attachment figures.
Are seperate roles important for attachment ?
Studies have found that children growing up in single or same sex parent families do not develop differently from those in two-parent families (McCallum and Golombok, 2004). Schaffer and Emerson also concluded from their research that it is the quality of the relationship not quantity that mattered most in the formation of attachments. This therefore suggests that the key to the attachment relationship is the level of responsiveness not the gender of the caregiver.
What is the issue with objective observation ?
social biases prevent objective observation. This is because there are preconceptions about how fathers should behave due to views about traditional gender roles. These stereotypes may cause unintentional observer bias whereby observers ‘see’ what they expect rather than recording actual reality. This is a limitation as the conclusions on the role of the father in attachment are hard to disentangle from social biases about their role.
What is the issue with the role of the father being socially sensitive ?
t has major implications for the lifestyle choices families make when their children are young. Past research suggests that the primary attachment will most likely be the mother rather than the father. This may therefore push mothers rather than fathers into particular lifestyle choices with economic implications such as not returning back to work when a child is born or whether to place the child in a day care setting.
However more current research by Cohn (2014) suggests that the number of fathers who stay at home and care for their children has quadrupled over the past 25 years, illustrating how the father can also be the primary caregiver. Bowlby underestimated the role of the father and saw the father’s role as primarily economic, which is now seen as an outdated and sexist viewpoint. This therefore highlights how research into the role of the father is a controversial topic in individualistic cultures.
