THE ROLE OF THE FATHER

• Primary attachment usually with mothers but sometimes both

  SCHAFFER AND EMERSON (1964) found that the majority of babies become attached to their mother first (this happens around 7 months).

  In only 3% of cases the father was the sole object of attachment.

  In 27% of cases the father was the joint first object of attachment with the mother.
• 75% eventually form secondary attachments with father 


  In 75% of babies studied an attachment was formed with the father by the age of 18 months.

  This was indicated by the fact that babies protested when their father walked away, a sign of attachment.
• A distinctive role of the father

  GROSSMANN ET AL (2002) carried out a longitudinal study looking at parents’ behaviour and its relationship to the quality of children’s attachments into their teens.

  This research found that the quality of attachment with the father was less important for adolescent attachment than the quality of attachment with the mother. 

  Therefore fathers may be less important in long-term emotional development.
• A distinctive role of the father

  HOWEVER, GROSSMAN ET AL. also found that the quality of father’s play with babies is related to the quality of adolescent attachments.

  This suggests that fathers have a different role in attachment, one that is more to do with play and stimulation and less to do with emotional care.
• Fathers can be primary attachment figures

  Some evidence suggests that when fathers do take on the role of being the main caregiver they adopt behaviours more typical of mothers.

  FIELD (1978) filmed 4 month old babies and found that primary caregiver fathers, like mothers, spent more time smiling, imitating and holding babies than secondary caregiver fathers. 

  These behaviours are related to interactional synchrony and the formation of an emotional attachment (ISABELLA ET AL 1989).
• Level of response is most important

  Smiling, imitating and holding babies (interactional synchrony) are behaviours that are important in building a primary (emotional) attachment with a baby.

  So it seems the father can be a more ‘emotional’ attachment figure.

  The key to the attachment relationship is the level of responsiveness not the gender of the parent.