Role of the Father

• Father refers to the closest male caregiver
• Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found that the majority of babies became attached to their mothers at 7 months and formed secondary attachments a few weeks or months later
• In 75% of infant studies, an attachment was formed with the father at 18 months- this was determined by the fact that the infant protested when the father walked away
• Schaffer and Emerson concluded that fathers are secondary attachment figures
• Grossman (2002) conducted a longitudinal study and looked at both parents quality of attachment with their infant
• Quality of attachment is determined by the behaviour and relationship
• Grossman found that the quality of attachment with the mother was more important on the teenagers attachment in comparison to the father
• Grossman's study suggests that the father's attachment is less important
• HOWEVER, Grossman's study can be argued against:

  • Father's play with infants was related to the quality of adolescent attachments
  • Father's role in attachment is more to do with stimulation and play and less to do with emotional development
• Evidence suggests fathers possess the role of being the primary caregiver, they have attributes and behaviours previously linked with mothers
• Field (1978) filmed 4 month-old babies in face to face interaction with primary caregiver mothers, fathers and secondary caregiver fathers
• Field found that primary caregiver father and mothers both spent more time smiling, imitating and holding infants than secondary caregiver fathers
• Field's research shows that fathers have the potential to be the emotion-focused primary attachment figure and can provide the emotional responsiveness required for an attachment
• LIMITATIONS

  • confusion over research questions- some researchers investigated the role of the father as the secondary caregiver, others looked at fathers as a primary attachment figure
  • Contradicting evidence- MacCallum and Golombock (2004) found children growing up in a single or same-sex parent families did not develop any differently to children raised by a heterosexual couple
• STRENGTH

  • Real world application- reduces parental anxiety and guides new parents into what roles they play in a child's development