Role of the father

• Schaffer and Emerson found fathers are less likely to be the infant's primary attachment figure

  Mothers are attached to infants within the first 7 months

  75% of infants in Schaffer and Emerson's research attached to their fathers within 18 months

  
  

  This might be because fathers typically spend less time with their infants

  • However, Lamb(1997) could not find any research to support this
• Why are fathers not the primary attachment figure?

  • Female hormone Oestrogen underlies caring behaviour in women
  • Cultural expectations, women are expected to be more sensitive as this is "feminine" - women are expected to have a motherly role
  • Men are not psychologically equipped to form an intense attachment because they lack the emotional sensitivity of women
• Froedi et Al showed videos of infants crying & found their was no physiological difference in terms of the response of men & women.

  This study suggests men could be as emotionally sensitive as women
• Secondary role of fathers

  Fathers have a secondary role to their children

  • Grossman found fathers are more playful, physically active & better at helping their children through challenging situations
• Geiger said that mothers are more conventional & tend to participate in more nurturing tasks, such as reading stories to their children
• Arguably, the lack of sensitivity in fathers can be beneficial as it allows their children to develop problem solving abilities as their fathers give them greater communication & cognitive challenges