Role of the father

• Why is the father not the primary attachment figure ?

  • less likely as have a lack of emotional sensitivity compared to women
  • men are not psychologically equiped to form an intense attachment
  • this is due to biological factors
• What role does culture and stereotypes have on primary attachment ?

  • Culture expectations
  • stereotypes affect male behaviour as they don’t have the sensitive need to care for others
• What role does the father have in a secondary attachment ?

  • important role to play
  • more playful, physically active
  • better at providing challenging situations
  • playmate
  • lack of sensitivity is positive as fosters problem solving by increasing cognitive demands on children
• What research is role of the father ?

  • grossman
  • field
  • shaffer + Emerson
• What did grossman do ?

  • longitudonal study
  • looks at both parents behaviour + quality of child’s attachment in adolescents
• What was gross man’s findings ?

  • mother related to adolescant attachment
  • fathers quality of play related to quality of adolescent attachment
  • father is more of a play mate + stimulation than nurturing
• What did field study?


  Filmed 4 month old babies with both primary and secondary caregiver (M+ F)
• What did field find ?


  primary caregiver father like mother spent more time smiling, imitating + holding infants than the secondary fathers

  • shows it’s not the gender but infact the level of responsiveness
  • farthers can be nurturing too
• What did shaffer + Emerson find ?

  • Majority of babies attach to the mother first at 7 months
  • within a few weeks formed a secondary attachment to other family members including the father
  • 75% of infants formed an attachment with the father by 18 months
  • shown by protest at separation
• What is evaluation for this ?

  1. Why arent children without parents different
  2. why don’t fathers become primary caregivers
  3. lamb
• Why aren’t children without fathers different ?

  • golombok found children who grow up in single or Same sex families didn’t develop any differently
• Why don’t fathers become primary caregivers ?

  • traditional gender roles
  • women’s biology (oestrogen)
• What did lamb find ?

  children go to dads when happy but mums when unhappy