The role of the father

Question 1

Attachment to fathers

Answer 1

Fathers are less likely to become a babies first/primary attachment figure compared to mothers. 3% of fathers are the first sole object of attachment. In 27% of cases the father was the going first object of attachment with the mother.

Attachment to fathers is important, but at a later stage. 75% of babies formed an attachment with their fathers by 18 months. Shown by the fact babies protested when their farther walked away - a sign of attachment.

Question 2

What is the distinctive role of fathers?

Answer 2

• Grossman (2002)
• Longitudinal study
• babies attachment studied into their teens
• he found the quality of babies attachment with mothers (but not fathers) was related to attachments in adolescence
• However, he found the quality of fathers play with babies was related to the quality of adolescent attachments
  This suggests that fathers have a different role to mothers - one that is more to do with play and stimulation, and less to do with emotional development

Question 3

Fathers as primary attachment figures

Answer 3

Babies relationship with primary attachment figure forms the basis of all later close emotional relationships. There is evidence to suggest fathers are able to adopt to the emotional role more typically associated with mothers

Question 4

What was the study looking into fathers as primary attachment figures?

Answer 4

Primary fathers, secondary fathers, primary mothers
Primary mothers and fathers took on emotional role - reciprocity and interactional synchrony, whereas secondary took on role of play and stimulation

So it seems fathers have the potential to be the emotion-focused primary attachment figure. They can provide the responsiveness required for a close emotional attachment but perhaps only express this when given the role of primary caregiver.

Question 5

What are the evaluation points for the role of the father?

Answer 5

Confusion over research questions:
- some researchers are trying to understand the role of the father as a secondary attachment figure, whereas others are looking at the role of a primary attachment figure
- this leads to contrasting findings as both have different research aims to begin with
This makes it difficult to offer a simple answer as to the ‘role of the father’. It depends what specific role is being discussed.

Real world application:
- can be used to offer advice to parents
- fathers can become primary attachment figure
- parental anxiety about the role of the fathers can be reduced
This means that in heterosexual households either parent can work - whichever may be more economically viable. Also lesbian-parent and single-mother families can be informed that not having a father around does not affect a child’s development.

Conflicting evidence:
- if fathers have such a key role in a Childs development, we would expect children growing up with a single mother and lesbian-parent families would turn out someway different to those in two parent heterosexual households
This means that the question as to whether fathers have a distinctive role remains unanswered

Counterpoint:
- may not be conflict
- could be that fathers take on distinct roles in heterosexual relationships, but single mother and lesbian parents adapt to accommodate the role of fathers
This means that the question of a distinctive role for fathers is clear after all. When present, fathers ted to adopt a role, but families can adapt to not having a father.

Bias in this research:
- stereotypes on the role of the father (and how they act) may cause unintentional observer bias where observers ‘see’ what they expect rather than recording the objective reality