The role of the father Flashcards
(7 cards)
What is traditionally the role of the father?
Traditionally, fathers have been seen to have played a minor role in the parenting of their children.
– for example BOWLBY believed that children have one specific bond which is usually the mother. (But society has changed most fathers go to become more important attachment figures)
– For example SCHAFFER AND EMERSON found that 75% of infants had only formed attachment with their father at 18 months.
Do fathers have a different role?
KAREN GROSSMAN carried out a long digital study and found that quality of an adolescent attachment to the father is related to fathers play with infants.
– this suggests that fathers have a different role in attachment, one that is more to do with playing and stimulation and less to do with nurturing.
What is evidence of fathers as the primary caregivers?
FIELD
– Film for babies and face-to-face interactions with their fathers.
– She found a difference in interactions when the father was a primary caregiver and secondary.
– They spent more time laughing/imitating and holding their babies.
– So it seems that fathers can be the more nurturing attachment figure and the key attachment is level of responsiveness not the gender of the caregiver.
What is one weakness of the role of the father?
P- one weakness of the role of the father is that fathers are not psychologically to be the primary caregiver.
E –HRDY found that fathers were less able to detect lost levels of infant distress, in comparison to mothers.
L– this is a weakness as it provides further evidence that fathers are not able to provide a SENSITIVE and nurturing type of attachment as they are unable to detect stress in their children.
What is another weakness of the role of the father?
P– another weakness of the role of the father is that fathers are not caregivers they are playmates.
E – research by GEIGER found that a father’s play interactions were more EXCITING in comparison to a mother’s. However, the mother’s interactions were more AFFECTIONATE and nurturing.
L-they suggest that the role of the father is in fact as a PLAYMATE and not as a sensitive parent who responds to the needs of their children.
(these results also confirmed that the mother takes on a nurturing role)
What is a strength of the role of the father?
P– research suggest that fathers can demonstrate sensitive responsiveness.
E–BELSKY ET AL found that males who reported higher levels of MARITAL INTIMACY also displayed a secure for the infant attachment, whereas males with LOWER LEVELS displayed INSECURE father infant attachments.
L- this suggests that males are able to form secure attachments with their children, however the strength of the attachment depends on the father and mother the relationship.
