3.3 the role of the father

(The father does not necessarily refer to a babies biological male parent - it refers to a child’s closest male caregiver)

Attachment to fathers

  • evidence suggests that fathers are less likely to become a babies first attachment figure

  • Schaffer and Emerson - found that the father was the first attachment in 3% of cases.

  • However they also found that 75% of babies form an attachment to the father by 18 months, so they do go on to become important attachment figures

Distinctive role for fathers

  • Grossman carried out a longitudinal study, studying babies attachments into their teens

  • Found that the quality of the baby’s attachment with mothers was related to attachments in adolescence. Suggesting fathers attachment is less important

  • However Grossman also found that the quality of fathers play with babies was also related to the quality of adolescent attachments

  • Suggests that fathers have a different role from mothers - more play and stimulation rather than emotional development

Fathers as primary attachment figures

  • a babys relationship with their primary attachment figure forms the basis for all later attachments

  • When fathers take on the role of primary attachment figure, they adopt an emotional role

  • Field - filmed 4 months old babies in face-to-face interaction with the primary caregiver mothers, secondary caregiver fathers and primary caregiver fathers.

  • Both primary caregivers spent more time smiling, imitating and holding babies (more reciprocity and Interactional synchrony)

Evaluation

Confusion over research questions

  • there is a lack of clarity over the question being asked

  • The role of the father may be in terms of primary attachment figures, secondary attachment figures, having a distinct role or taking on a maternal role

  • So its hard to offer a simple answer to the role of the father, as it depends on the specific role being discussed

Conflicting evidence

  • longitudinal studies such as Grossman suggest that fathers as secondary attachment figures have important and distinct roles in a child’s development

  • However this would suggest that single mothers and lesbian families would have children that develop differently. McCallum found that these children do not develop differently

— counterpoint — an explanation for this may be that these parents adapt to accommodate the role played by fathers. So they do have a distinctive roles, but families can adapt

Real world application

  • reduces the pressure for women to stay at home, as the father can fulfil the role of the primary attachment figure

  • Also lesbian-parent and single mothers can be informed that not having a father does not affect a child’s develop

  • So overall parental anxiety can be reduced

Bias in the research

  • preconceptions and stereotypes of how fathers should behave may cause unintentional observer bias