Role of the Father

Cards (3)

  • Most early research was on the role of the mother in attachment, despite evidence that fathers play a role too. This lead to research and the discovery of 2 different roles that the father could play
  • Grossman did a longitudinal study looking at the influence of parental behaviour on attachment and found that it was the quality of fathers' play with infants and not their security of attachment which was related to the quality of adolescent attachments with the father. This suggests that rather than a nurturing role, the father's role is centred around play and stimulation in order for a strong attachment to form between them in adolescence.
  • Field observed 4 month old infants in face to face interactions with their primary caregiver fathers or primary caregiver mothers or secondary caregiver fathers. Primary caregiver fathers like mothers spent longer smiling imitating and holding the infant than secondary caregiver fathers. Suggests that the father's role can be centred around nurturing just like mothers.