multiple attachments + role of father

• Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found that by the time the infants were 18 months they had already formed multiple attachments
• Multiple attachments are whereby an infant forms several, different attachments with a range of people, usually a family member
• Grossman 2002

  • Conducted a longitudinal study looking at how the quality of relationships between parents and children changed from infancy to the teenage years
  • It was found that the early attachment to the mother was a better predictor of what the teenage relationship was like
  • It seems the father is less important to later development than the mother in terms of nurture
• Multiple attachments = Formation of emotional bonds with more than one carer
• The Role of the father

  • From Schaffer and Emerson, the most common second attachment formed was with the father
  • This was the case in 27% of the initial sample and at 18 months 75% had formed an attachment with their father
  • The role of fathers has significantly developed since then and many men are more hands-on with their children than in the 1960s
• Research into role of the father

  Geiger (1996)

  • Found that fathers had a different role from the mother 
  • The mum is associated with care and nurturing the child
  • The dad is more about fun and playing with the child
  • From this, we get the idea of the father's role being 'the fun dad'
• Grossman (2002)

  • Conducted a longitudinal study looking at how the quality of relationships between parents and children changed from infancy to the teenage years
  • It was found that the early attachment to the mother was a better predictor of what the teenage relationship was like
  • It seems the father is less important to later development than the mother in terms of nurture
  • However, Grossman found that if the father had engaged in active play with the child when they were young, the adolescent relationship with BOTH parents is strengthened
  • This supports Geiger's work
• Field (1978)

  • However, Field found that if the father was the main PCG from before attachment began (before 6 months) then they took on more of a maternal role
  • They were seen to be more nurturing and caring than the traditional father role
  • This demonstrates that there is flexibility in the role of the father and how men can respond to the different needs of their children
• Strengths of ROTF

  • Bowlby argued that mothers are crucial, fathers are only important for an economic function
  • Socialisation and hormones might support this, Schaffer and Emerson found that only 3% of babies had the father as the first attachment
• Limitations of ROTF

  • Biased sample that lacks ecological and temporal validity
  • Many more women go to work nowadays and stay at home fathers are increasingly popular (quadrupled over the past 25 years Cohn et al 2014)