Role of the Father

• Schaffer's Research


  Found at 18 months, 75% of babies had attached to father, showing seperation anxiety
• Active Play

  Fathers encourage active play more consistently than mothers, stimulating risk-taking behaviour
• Primary Caregiver

  If men take on the primary caregiver role, interaction style changes to more like a mothers, increasing capacity for sensitive responsiveness
• (+) A03: Field (1978)


  4 month old babies infront of:

  1. Primary Caregiver Mother
  2. Primary Caregiver Father
  3. Secondary Caregiver Father

  • Found that Primary Fathers take on the same role as mother, with holding interactions
  • Secondary Fathers exhibited more game-playing behaviours with baby than holding interactions
• Traditionally, fathers would work whilst mum cared at home, preventing an attachment bond
• Grossman


  A fathers figure role is more stimulatory, the play sensitivity of the father helps predict the children's longterm attachment
• Some psychologists argue that the Father does not have the hormone oestrogen that links to caring behaviour and therefore cannot form attachment
• (+) A03: Hardy


  Fathers cant provide a sensitive attachment, being less able to check low levels of distress in their children, supporting biological explanation of lack of oestrogen