role of the father

• the role of the father

  research into specific roles that fathers play in development

  what men contribute as caregivers
• the father


  any male fiqure who takes on the role of the main male caregiver
• attachment to fathers

  • evidence suggests that fathers are much less likely to be babies first attachment figure compared to mothers
  • Shaffer and Emerson found that majority of babies first became attached to their mothes around 7 months. only 3% of the cases the father was the primary attachment
  • in 27% of the cases, both the mother and father were the primary attachment
  • however most fathers become important figures- 75% became upset when their fathers walked away by 18 months - sign of attachment
• distinctive role for fathers - do caregiving men make unique contribution to early development?

  • Grossman et al (2002) - longditudinal study - babies attachment were studied until teens. Reserachers looked at both parents behaviours and its relationship to the quality of their childs later attachments to people. The quality of the babys attachment with mother but not fathers was related to attachments in adolescence. Suggests attachment to fathers is less important than mothers.
• distinctive role for fathers - do caregiving men make unique contribution to early development?

  • However, Grossman also found that the quality of the fathers playtime with their baby was related to the quality of adolescent attachments. Suggests fathers have the role of play and not emotional development
• fathers as primary attachment


  evidence that when fathers take on the role of primary caregiver, the are able to adopt the emotional role, typically asssociated with mothers

  • researcher filmed 4 month old babies face to face interacting with primary cargiver mothers, secondary cargiver fathers and primary cargiver fathers.
  • primary cargiver mother AND fathers spent more time, smiling, imitating (all part of reciprocity and interactional synchrony, which are part of the process of attachment and holding babies than the secondary caregiver fathers
  • so, fathers can express primary caregiver roles
• A03 - strength - real world application

  can be used to offer advice for parents