Attachment: Role of the Father

ATTACHMENT FIGURES

Grossman (2002) carried out a longitudinal study, looking at both parent’s behaviour and its relationships to the quality of their children’s attachment into their teens. It was suggested that the role of the father was less important than the mothers, based on the attachment during the adolescent stage. It was also suggested that their parental role was more focused on play and simulation, rather than the motherly role of nurturing.
Tiffany Field (1978) conducted and experiment with 4-month-old babies and their caregivers. She used primary caregiver mothers, secondary caregiver fathers and primary caregiver fathers. The findings where that the key for forming the primary attachment, is not the gender yet the level of responsiveness (e.g. Smiling more, imitating etc.).
Heerman et al. (1994) found that a reason why the father had a secondary attachment, was due to men not having the oestrogen hormone which increases emotional response to other’s needs.
Freeman et al. (2010) found that male children are more likely to prefer their father as an attachment figure than female children. Also that it is more likely for the attachment to the father was to be formed during late childhood/early adolescence
According to Manlove et al. (2002), fathers are less likely to be involved with their infant if it has difficult temperament.

There has also been a major change in the role of the father, as time has moved on. Along with the times, social standards have also changed:

THEN:

Women were supposed to be home with the children all day.
Women relied on their husbands to provide for the family – breadwinners.
Men had a head-of-house role (like a boss).
Men having no involvement with caring for children.
Lack of emotional sensitivity.

NOW:

Men are more emotionally supportive and affectionate.
Men are more involved with the upbringing and education.
Fathers have improved relationship with their children.
More balanced gender roles – women can go out and work.

AO3 EVALUATION

The study by Grossman found that the fathers who had secondary attachments, had an important role in their child’s development. Yet other researchers have found that children who have grown up with a single or same-sex parent, do not develop any differently from those in two parent heterosexual families. So it is confusing to decipher whether the role of the father as secondary attachment is equally, or less important. The reason why fathers are less likely to be the primary caregiver, could be due to the pre-existing gender roles. Thus fathers feeling no need to take and unnecessary role, and to be more relaxed. It is hard to find a determining factor, based on the facts that different researchers have different/inconsistent findings. Schaffer and Emerson found that infants usually form an attachment with their fathers after 18 months, however did find that a few had fathers at their primary caregiver.