PSYCH; Role of the Father (Attachment)

what’s the difference between a primary caregiver and a primary attachment figure

primary caregiver is the one who spends the most time with the infant, caring for its needs.

whereas, a primary attachment figure is the person to whom the baby has the strongest attachment with.

(often the same person fulfils both roles but not always)

what does a ‘father’ mean in terms of attachment

a ‘father’ does not always refer to a baby’s biological male parent — it refers to a child’s closest male caregiver

what did Schaffer&Emerson (1964) find in regards to attachment to fathers

found that majority of babies (not all) first became attached to their mother at around 7 months.

in only 3%of cases the father was the first sole object of attachment

in 27% of cases the father was the JOINT first object of attachment with the mother

75% of the babies studied formed a secondary attachment with their father by the age of 18 months — determined by the babies behaviour (seperation anxiety) when their father walked away

what did Grossmann et al (2002) aim to investigate

investigate the role of both parents (mother and father) in the development of children’s attachments from being an infant through to their teenage years

procedure of Grossmann et al (2002) research

carried out a longitudinal study of 44 families where babies’ attachments were studied from infancy until their teenage years

comparing the role fathers’ and mothers’ contribution to their children’s later attachments with other people

findings + conc of Grossmann et al (2002) research

found that mother-infant attachment quality strongly predicts adolescent attachment while father-infant attachment does not directly predict it.

found the quality of father-infant attachment was less important than mother-infant attachment for long term emotional development (teenage attachment)

however, found that the quality of father’s play with infants was closely linked to the child’s security in adolescence.

so fathers serve as an attachment figure linked to stimulation and social interaction and less to do with emotional development — supporting the idea a ‘distinct’ rather than ‘secondary’ role

what does ‘adolescent attachment’ mean

it refers to the restructuring of emotional bonds. moving from total dependence on parents to a hierarchal system (peers/romantic partners) while the parents remain the ‘secure base’

a maintained connection/attachment with parents is required to explore new roles and securing successful attachments

whats the distinction between primary attachment and secondary attachment

primary attachment is the first specific attachment that has special emotional significance which forms the basis of all later close emotional relationships ships of the child

secondary attachment is the attachment formed later to other people once a primary attachment has been formed

what did Field(1978) aim to investigate

whether fathers could act as a primary caregiver and if so, whether their nurturing behaviour differed from that of a mother as a primary caregiver.

procedure of Field (1978)

naturalistic observation filming 4 month old babies in face-to-face interaction with primary caregiver mothers/secondary caregiver fathers/primary caregiver fathers.

findings+conc of Field (1978)

found that primary caregiver fathers were spent more time smiling, imitation and holding babies than secondary fathers (all part of reciprocity and interactional synchrony — process of attachment formation)

secondary fathers often acted as playmates than caregivers

suggesting fathers have the potential to adopt the emotional role that’s typically associated with mothers — they can provide the responsiveness required for a close personal attachment.

so fatherhood can be defined by the level of responsiveness and not biological sex

one limitation of research into the role of fathers is the inconsistency in findings;…but how?

P; research on the role of father has inconsistent findings regarding their specific impact on children’s development

E; Grossmann’s longitudinal study (2002) suggested the quality of father-child play is essential for long term development, however MacCallum&Golombok(2004) found that children in single-mother/lesbian parent families do not develop any differently from those in heterosexual families.

E; this inconsistency suggests that the father’s roles is not unique/essential as the child’s’ development is not significantly impacted by the absence of a father figure

explain the counterpoint on inconsistent findings in research into role of father

when present fathers tend to adopt that role but families can adapt to not having a father

fathers typically take on distinctive roles two parent heterosexual families but parents in single mother/lesbian parent families simply adapt to the accommodate the role played by fathers

meaning that the question of a distinctive role for fathers is clear

one strength of research into the role of father is that it can be used to offer advice to parents…but how??

E; Parents and prospective parents sometimes agonise over decisions like who should take on the primary caregiver role and some may worry about whether to have children at all. Mothers may feel pressured to stay at home because of stereotypical views of mothers’ and fathers’ roles.

E:So, research into the role of the father can be used to offer reassuring advice to parents — heterosexual parents can be informed that fathers are capable of becoming primary attachment figures, homosexual families can be informed that not having a father does not affect a child’s development.

L;Therefore, research into role of father has real world application in reducing parental anxiety.

biological evaluation arguing role of the father

biological explanations suggest that fathers are less equipped to be primary attachment figures as they have lower level of nurturing hormones compared to mothers.

Hardy (1999) found that fathers were less able to detect low levels of infant distress — suggesting they lack the hormones (especially high oestrogen levels) required to form close, nurturing bonds in the same way women do.

supported by Grossmann’s research that fathers tend to take on ‘playmate’ role rather than a nurturing one.

(this is biologically reductionist)

evolutionary explanation arguing role of father

Trivers (1972) implies that males are biologically predisposed to focus on providing recourses and protection rather than direct, intensive care according to evolutionary psychology.

what did Trivers (1972) imply?

implied that males are biologically predisposed to focus on providing recourses and protection rather than direct, intensive care according to evolutionary psychology

what did Hardy (1999) find and suggest

Hardy (1999) found that fathers were less able to detect low levels of infant distress, suggesting they lack the hormones (especially oestrogen) required to for close, nurturing bonds like women do — supporting the biological differences in primary attachment figures and the role of the father.

a countering evidence to the biological evaluation into role of the father

the biological explanation is a form of biological determinism

Field (1978) counters this - found that when fathers as primary caregivers, they adopt ‘maternal’ behaviours e.g increased smiling/holding - similar to mothers.

suggesting biology is not a fixed constraint to father’s becoming primary caregivers and responsiveness is more important than gender!!!