The role of the father

• What was Grossman's study?

  It was a longitudinal study to assess babies attachments into their teens

  -The quality of their attachment to their mothers played a bigger role in adolescent attachment

  -He also found the quality of the fathers play related to the quality of adolescent attachments.
• There is lack of clarity over the question being asked, the question "What is the ROTF" is more complicated

  [-] Some researchers answering this want to know the role of the father as a secondary attachment figure and some want to know their role as a primary.//The former see the fathers to behave differently to the mothers and the latter found the father can take on a maternal role.//This makes it difficult to give a simple answer as it depends on the context
• Findings may vary depending on the methodology used


  Longitudinal studies like Grossmann's suggest fathers as a secondary attachment and they have an important role involving play and stimulation.// However if fathers have distinct roles then children in single mother/ lesbian families would be different to those in heterosexual fams.// This means the answer to the question whether fathers have an important role remains unanswered
• COUNTER: the research may not be in conflict with eachother

  [+]Fathers may take in particular roles in two parent heterosexual fams but parents in diff fams may have to accommodate to the roles played by the father.//This means the distinctive role for the father is clear// When present, fathers tend to adopt a distinctive role but families can adapt to no father
• It can be used to offer advice to parents


  [+] Parents and prospective parents mah debate over who takes the primary caregiver role.:/ Mothers may feel pressured to stay home and fathers may feel pressured to go to work. research into the ROTF may be reassuring to parents.//This means parental anxiety can be reduced