The Role Of The Father Flashcards
(17 cards)
What is the definition of a father in attachment research?
Anyone who takes on the role of the main male caregiver
This can include non-biological fathers.
What does heteronormativity refer to in the context of parenting research?
Research focuses on households with two different gendered parents
This does not mean that same-sex couples and single parents are not effective parents.
How has society changes affected parenting research?
Views on gender and gender roles are constantly changing with society
leading to changes in research
What was the traditional focus of research regarding parenting?
Research used to focus on the mother
Fathers’ roles were considered unimportant in terms of their relationship with the baby.
Why do babies usually attach to their mothers first?
Mothers provide: emotional support, warmth, safety, comfort, food, and survival
Especially necessary in the early stages.
List the stereotypical roles of fathers.
- Work full time
- Usually a manual job
- Discipline the children
What does research suggest about attachment to fathers?
Fathers typically at work meaning less quality time with babies than mothers. Research suggests that they’re unlikely to be babies 1st attachment figure
Who conducted research into attachment to fathers and what were the findings?
Schaffer and Emerson found babies primarily attach to fathers 3% of the time and jointly to mother and father 27% of the time
75% of babies formed strong attachments to fathers 75% of the time by 18 months (protested when father walked away)
Who conducted research into the importance and speciality of father attachment?
Grossman et al: longitundinal study from babies to teens, looking at parents behaviour and quality of childs relationship with others
What did Grossmann et al find?
Link between babies bond with mother but not father and found the quality of fathers’ play was related to later attachments with others
How can fathers act as primary attachment figures?
Fathers can adopt the emotional role of a mother in the absence of a mother
This includes behaviors like smiling, imitating, and holding the baby.
Who looked into fathers as primary attachment figures?
Field filmed 4 month babies with primary attachment mothers, secondary attachment fathers and primary attachment fathers
Primary attachment fathers behaved like primary attachment mothers, showing fathers can be emotion focused but only i the role of primary caregiver
What limitation exists in the research on fathers’ roles?
Confusion about the role of a father, isnt clear on type of attachment: primary or secondary
What’s another limitation regarding findings?
Findings vary depending on methodology. Longitudinal studies suggest fathers role different to mothers and important.
However children in single-mother families and lesbian parent families dont develop differently
What’s another limitation regarding stereotypes?
Stereotypical research as the stereotypical role of fathers are often seen in media and advertisements
What strengths are noted in the research regarding fathers?
- Fathers may have their own role in two-parent relationships
- Single mothers and lesbian parents adapt to include the father’s role
What’s another strength regarding advice?
Research can provide practical advice for various family structures to fill in role of male caregiver or fathers as primary caregiver
EG: heterosexual parents, single parents and lesbian parents
Reducing parental anxiety and keeping childrens attachment healty
