role of the father

• factors affecting role of the father (how it affects them creating attachment bond with infant)

  • cultural factors
  • economic factors
  • biological factors
  • social policies
  • this child (age and temperament)
• cultural factors affecting role of father

  • in past - men expected to have jobs and get money for the family - having limited/no direct involvement with their childrens care
  • could be seen as stereotypical as they are more likely to be involved in factors such as play and guidance
  • many societies - men spend time keeping children alive in other cultures such as central african republic - involved in large amounts of daily care
• economic factors affecting the role of the father

  • men working miles away in other parts of world to provide income for their family (long hrs seperation)
  • hands on involvement with childs care can be seen impossible
  • been shift in mens domestic involvement and labour patterns including increase in female labour
  • such changes allow fathers to have opportunities with mothers to be mutually active parents + employees
  • due to shift in economic factors - attachment between infants and fathers is now more available
• biological factors affecting role of father

  • men seem to lack emotional sensitivity to infant cues which women often seem to notice
  • could be due to women producing oestrogen (increases emotional responses to others needs)
  • contradictory - researcher found mens physiological response was same as women
• social policies affecting role of father

  • UK - fathers werent given any parental leave - responsibility of care for child was left to mother (attachment likely to form)
  • policies can change the attachment formed between father and child (no paternal leave policies)
  • attachment pattern can differ from each country due to them having differing policies - some have policies where fathers are accepted for paternal leave
• the child being factor affecting role of father

  • age and gender - research found male children more likely to prefer father as their attachment figure as opposed to female children. - found children more likely to be attached to father during later childhood to adolescence
  • temperament - fathers less likely to be involved with infants when they have difficult temperament - due to infants emotional needs not being met by father at time, less likely to form attachment with father
• schaffer and emerson - key support for role of father

  • found majority of babies became attached to mother first (7 months) - within next few weeks/months they had formed secondary attachment to other family members (father)
  • 75% infants studied - attachment formed with father by 18 months (determined by infants protesting when father walked away)
• grossman - key support for role of father

  • longitudinal study looking at both parents behaviour and relationships to quality of childrens attachments into their teens
  • quality of infants attachment with mothers was related to children's attachment in adolescence - suggesting father attachment was less important
  • quality of fathers 'play' with infant related to quality of adolescence attachment - suggests fathers have different role in attachment - more play and less nurture
• fathers as primary caregiver

  • evidence suggests when fathers do take on role of being main caregiver (primary attachment figure) - they adopt behaviours typically associated with mothers
  • researcher filmed 4 month old babies face to face interactions with primary caregiver mothers, primary caregiver fathers and secondary caregiver fathers
  • primary caregiver fathers spent more time smiling and imitating and holding infants as opposed to secondary fathers
  • key to attachment relationship is level of responsiveness and therefore not gender of parent
• evaluation points for role of father

  • fathers arent biologically sensitive
  • research support
  • inconsistent findings
• fathers not being biologically sensitive as eval point for role of father

  • researcher found fathers are less likely to be able to detect low levels of infant distress
  • fathers arent as equipped as mothers in relation to providing sensitive and nurturing care - explained through biology where research supports lack of oestrogen in men means fathers arent innate equipped to form attachment bonds
  • suggests role of father is biologically determined where fathers role is restricted due to genetic makeup
  • strength as support claims that oestrogen levels are biological factor affecting role of father
• research support being eval point for role of father

  • research supporting father being playmate rather than primary caregiver (first established by grossman)
  • geiger found father interactions are more interesting than mothers (more nurturing and affectionate)
  • suggests role of father is as playmate and not sensitive parent who responds to childs needs
  • results confirm mother takes on nurturing role
• inconsistent findings as eval point for role of father

  • research studies conducted for role of father in attachment - findings collected - confusing due to psychologists being interested in differing questions
  • some look at role of father as primary attachment figure whereas others look at father as secondary attachment figure - differing conclusions are made
  • tend to see fathers as having distinct role where they behave differently from mothers - others tend to find fathers take on 'maternal role'
  • limitation as collective findings cant easily answer what role of father is - lacks validity