> attachment: role of the father

Question 1

what role do fathers usually play in their childrens lives?

Answer 1

minor

Question 2

in children who are raised by married couples, what happens?

Answer 2

father goes off to work to provide resources for the family whilst mothers stays home looking after the children until school age

Question 3

what is modern society doing about this?

Answer 3

society has changed - now the norm for the mother to have a job

Question 4

statistics supporting this?

Answer 4

-2013 -> 5.3k women employed in the uk, 9% of single parents = male

Question 5

what did Bowlby believe?

Answer 5

children had one primary attachment (monotropy), usually mother, though conceded that sometimes this could be the father

Question 6

how do researches view fathers?

Answer 6

less of a caregiver, more of a playmate, as play tends to be more physical, exciting + unpredictable compared to mothers

Question 7

what are mothers seen more to show?

Answer 7

sensitive responsiveness, though this ability can be quickly learnt in men if they are the main caregiver

Question 8

4 factors that affect infant-father relationships?

Answer 8

-degree of sensitivity
-type of attachment with own parents
-marital intimacy
-supportive co parenting

Question 9

degree of sensitivity?

Answer 9

higher proportion of secure attachments found in fathers who show more sensitivity towards children’s needs

Question 10

type of attachment with own parents?

Answer 10

found that single-parent fathers tend to form attachments with their own children similar to their own attachment type with their parents

Question 11

marital intimacy?

Answer 11

degree of intimacy within relationships between father and their partner can affect type of attachment between father + children

Question 12

supportive co-parenting?

Answer 12

amount of effort father puts into helping his partner care for children affects his relationship + attachment type with them

Question 13

state + explain economic implications this may have?

Answer 13

-shared pareting- increasing number of fathers staying at home, consequently contributing less to the economy, more mothers may return back to work -> contributing more to economy
-change in laws of paternity leave- funded by government, so does have an affect on the economy, especially affecting employers
-gender pay gap may be reduced if parental roles viewed as equal
-early attachment research e.g. Bowlby suggested that fathers should provide an economic rather than emotional function

Question 14

two research names?

Answer 14

-Lucassen et al
-Bernier and Milijkovich

Question 15

Lucassen et al research?

Answer 15

-ran a meta analysis involving observations + strange situation technique, to find that higher levels of sensitivity are associated with stronger infant-father attachments, supporting the idea that higher secure attachments are found in fathers who are more supportive/sensitive towards their childs needs.

Question 16

Bernier + Milijkovich research?

Answer 16

-found that single parent fathers attachments with children aged 4-5 was similar to the attachments the father had with his own parents
-no such affect found with married fathers -> suggests continuity of attachment occurs more in fathers who are the main caregivers

Question 17

evaluation- advantages?

Answer 17

-children with secure attachments to their fathers go on to have better relationships with their peers, less problem behaviours + more able to regulate their emotions
-fathers aren’’t just important for children, but also for mothers, providing them with much needed time away from childcare, reducing stress, improving self esteem + quality of a mothers relationship with child

Question 18

evaluation- disadvantages?

Answer 18

-although evidence suggests fathers are equally as able to display sensitive responsiveness + form secure attachments with children + society has a long way to catch up