The role of the father Flashcards
traditionally what have mothers seen to be perceived as
Mothers have traditionally been seen (due to their perceived nurturing nature) as more able to show sensitive responsiveness, but research suggests that males can quickly develop this ability when they take on the role of main care provider.
how has the perception of mothers changed recently
Recently, there has been a move towards males taking on a more equal role in parenting and there has been an increase in the number of men acting as the primary caregiver to their children.
how do researchers see the father
However, many researchers view the father less as a caregiver, but more of a playmate, as fathers’ play is often more physical, unpredictable and exciting than mothers’.
How did Bowlby see the father
Bowlby believed that children have one primary attachment figure (monotropy), usually the mother (but, he conceded that in some cases this might be the father).
Bowlby underestimated the role of the father – he saw the father’s role as primarily economic.
However, Bowlby’s views on the role of the father are arguably outdated and sexist.
Gender roles have changed a great deal in recent times and there is now greater emphasis on shared responsibility for childcare in many families; it is not uncommon nowadays for the father to be the primary caregiver.
Some psychologists would suggest that men are not as psychologically equipped as women to form an intense attachment due to lacking the necessary emotional sensitivity that women offer. This may be due to biological or social factors:
The female hormone oestrogen underlies caring behaviour so women, generally, are more oriented towards interpersonal goals than men.
Oxytocin has also been found to correspond to increased gaze, touch and positive affect in mothers towards their infants.
In terms of cultural expectations, there continue to be sex stereotypes that affect male behaviour i.e. it is thought of as rather feminine to be sensitive to the needs of others.
what did Schaffer and Emerson find
Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found that 75% of the babies studied formed an attachment with their father by the age of 18 months – whilst in only 3% of cases the father was the first sole object of attachment, most fathers go on to become important attachment figures.
Evidence has shown that men may be just as sensitive to infant cues as mothers:
Frodi et al. (1978) showed videos of infants crying and found no differences in the physiological responses of men and women.
This contradicts the theory that women are more sensitive as it is clear that on a physiological level men do respond to the needs of their infants (whether this is shown outwardly or not).
Furthermore, research by Lamb (1987)found that fathers who become main care providers seem to be able to quickly develop more sensitivity to children’s needs and become a safe base from which to explore, which suggests sensitive responsiveness isn’t a biological ability limited to women.
Field (1978) also found that primary caregiver fathers, like primary caregiver mothers, spent more time smiling, imitating and holding babies (when filmed) than secondary caregiver fathers.
Some psychologists believe that men do have an important role as a secondary attachment figure:
Geiger (1996): a father is an exciting playmate whereas mothers are more conventional and tend to read stories to their children.
It could be suggested that a father’s role is to provide these challenging, stimulating play environments, whereas the mother’s role is more of a nurturing one.
Overall, studies have shown that children with secure attachments to their fathers go on to have better relationships with peers, less problem behaviours and are more able to regulate their emotions.
It could be suggested that a father’s role is to provide these challenging, stimulating play environments, whereas the mother’s role is more of a nurturing one.
who supported tis
This is further supported by Grossman et al.’s (2002) study, who found that the quality of adolescent attachments was related to the baby’s attachment with mothers and the quality of their fathers’ play with them.
Social and Emotional Development
Evidence for the importance of the role of the father comes from studies that show that children with secure attachments to their fathers go on to have better relationships with peers, less problem behaviours and are more able to regulate their emotions.
However, if fathers have a distinctive and important role, we would expect that children growing up in single-mother and lesbian-parent families would turn out in some way different from those in two-parent heterosexual families.
In fact, studies (e.g. McCallum and Golombok, 2004) consistently show that these children do not develop differently from children in two-parent heterosexual families.
On the other hand, it could be that fathers typically take on distinctive roles in two-parent heterosexual families, but that parents in single-mother and lesbian-parent families simply adapt to accommodate the role played by fathers.
