the role of the father

• What is a father?

  Anyone who takes on the role of the main male caregiver.

  This can be but is not necessarily the biological father.
• Research evidence on why fathers are less likely to be a babies first attachment figure.

  • Rudolf Schaffer and Peggy Emerson’s (1964)
  • they found that babies become attached to their mothers around 7 months. In only 3% of cases the father was the first sole attachment. In 27% of cases the father was the joint first object of the attachment with the mother.
  • However, 75% of babies form attachments with their father by 18 months. This was determined by the fact that babies protested when their father walked away- sign of attachment.
• Research on the distinct role of the father.

  • Klaus grossmann et al (2002)
  • Carried out a longitudinal study where babies attachments are studied until their teens.
  • The researchers looked at both behaviours of the parents and its relationship to the quality of their babies later attachments to other people.
  • Quality of a babies attachment with mothers but not fathers was related to attachments in adolescence. Suggests attachments to fathers is less important than attachments to mothers.
• CONTINUED- distinct role of the father research.

  • However, he also found that the quality of fathers play with babies was related to the quality of adolescence attachments. Suggests fathers have a different role from mothers- one that is more to do with play and stimulation, and less to do with emotional development.
• What happens to the babies attachment to their primary attachment in the future?

  • The babies primary attachment has special emotional significance.
  • A babies relationship with their primary attachment figure forms the basis of all later close emotional relationships.
• Research on the father as a babies primary attachment figures.

  • Tiffany field (1978)
  • Filmed 4-month-old babies having interactions with primary caregiver mothers, secondary caregivers fathers, primary caregiver fathers.
  • Primary caregiver fathers (same with mothers) spent more time imitating and holding babies than secondary caregivers fathers. This is all part of reciprocity and interactional synchrony which is part of the attachment formation.
• What does Tiffany Fields research tell other researchers?

  • That fathers have the potential to be the more emotional-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.
• EVALUATION- confusion over research questions- LIMITATION

  • There was a lack of clarity over the questions being asked.
  • To ask what is the role of the father is more complicated than it sounds, researchers attempt to understand this by looking at them as secondary attachment figures. Others looking at them as the primary attachment figure. They tend to see fathers as behaving differently to mothers and having a distinct role. Fathers can take on a maternal role (primary)
  • Makes it difficult to offer a simple answer to the question as it depends of what specific role is discussed.
• EVALUATION- conflicting evidence- LIMITATION

  • Findings vary according to the methodology used.
  • Longitudinal studies such as Grossman et al suggest that fathers as secondary figures role in a child’s development, involves play and stimulation. However, we would expect that people who grew up without a father would turn out different (single mother). However studies like McCallum+Golombok (2004) saw no difference between the two families.
  • leaves the question do fathers have distinctive roles, remains unanswered.
• EVALUATION- real-world application- SUPPORT

  • It can be used to offer advice to parents.
  • Parents sometimes agonise over decisions who should be the primary caregiver. Mothers may feel pressured to stay at home due to stereotypes. Fathers may be pressured to focus on work rather than parenting. In some families economically this isn’t the best solution. Research can offer advice to parents as:
  • EG straight= fathers can be primary attachment figures. Lesbians+single mothers= not having a father doesn’t affect a child’s development.
  • Means parental anxiety about roles of fathers can be reduced.
• EVALUATION- conflicting evidence - SUPPORT

  • HOWEVER , fathers could 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
  • Means that the question of a distinctive role for fathers is clear after all. When present , fathers tend to adopt a distinctive role of, but families can adapt to not having a father.
• EVALUATION- bias in this research- LIMITATION

  • Preconceptions about how fathers do or should behave can be created by stereotypical accounts and images of parenting roles and behaviour , for example those used in advertising. These stereotypes (fathers are not primary caregivers , fathers are stricter) this may cause unintentional observer bias whereby observers ‘see’ what they expect to see rather than recording objective reality.