Father figure
A father figure is usually an older man, normally one with power, authority, or strength, with whom one can identify on a deeply psychological level and who generates emotions generally felt towards one's father. Despite the literal term "father figure", the role of a father figure is not limited to the biological parent of a person (especially a child), but may be played by uncles, grandfathers, elder brothers, family friends, or others.[1] The similar term mother figure refers to an older woman.
Several studies have suggested that positive father figures and mother figures (whether biological or not) are generally associated with healthy child development,[2] both in boys and in girls.[3]
Definition
The International Dictionary of Psychology defines "father figure" as "A man to whom a person looks up and whom he treats like a father."
Significance in Child Development
As a
Studies by Parke and Clark-Stewart (2011) and Lamb (2010) have shown that fathers are more likely than mothers to engage in rough-and-tumble play with children.[7]
Other functions a father figure can provide include: helping establish personal boundaries between mother and child;[8] promoting self-discipline, teamwork and a sense of gender identity;[9] offering a window into the wider world;[10] and providing opportunities for both idealization and its realistic working-through.[11]
Absence
Studies have shown that a lack of a father figure in a child's life can have severe negative psychological impacts upon a child's personality and psychology,[12] whereas positive father figures have a significant role in a child's development.
Research found that there is a strong negative causal effect of father figure absence on a child’s
Through examining long-term effects of father figure absence on adulthood, there is strong evidence that there is a strong causal effect of father absence on adult mental health. Results denote that psychological harm due to father figure absence in childhood persists throughout life. There is also weak evidence supporting that father figure absence influences adult financial or family outcomes. A few studies indicated that there is a negative correlation on adult employment. There is inconsistent evidence supporting that there are negative effects on marriage and divorce, income, or college education. [13]
In Psychoanalytic Theory
From a psychoanalytic point of view,
Pop Culture Examples
- Leaders such as Franklin D. Roosevelt have been seen as acting as father figures for their followers, while a similar role may be played by the therapist in the transference.[15]
- Alfred Pennyworth is the butler and father figure to Bruce Wayne, who is also Batman in DC Comics. Alfred looks after young Bruce Wayne after his parents are murdered during a street robbery.
- Mycroft Holmes is sometimes seen to be a father figure to Sherlock Holmes, especially in the 1970 film The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes and in the 2010 TV series Sherlock.
- Captain Haddock is mostly seen to be a father figure to Tintin, especially in Tintin in Tibet.
- Great Reform Act.[16]
- In the Star Wars franchise, Obi-Wan Kenobi is viewed as a father figure to protagonist Luke Skywalker.
- Harry Potter has been seen as seeking a succession of father figures, from Rubeus Hagrid to Albus Dumbledore, contrasted from the role of Lord Voldemort as the counterpart and negative aspect of the father figure.[17]
- Tigger is always seen as a father figure to Roo, especially in The Tigger Movie.
- Wolverine in the Marvel Comics became a father figure for the young x-woman Kitty Pryde. He also taught her martial arts and how to use katana.
- Ben Parker in the Marvel Comics became a father figure for Peter Parker/Spider-Man.
- Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings is a father figure to Frodo Baggins.
- Supernatural.
- Mr Miyagi can be seen as a father figure to Daniel LaRusso in The Karate Kid.
- Kingsley Martin said of Leonard Woolf that "he was always ready to advise me, and became, I think, something of a Father Figure to me".[18]
- Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go!.
See also
References
- ^ M. E. Lamb ed., The Role of the Father in Child Development (2010) p. 388
- ^ Science news
- ^ "Daughters need fathers, too". Archived from the original on 2013-07-02. Retrieved 2013-05-26.
- ^ Sutherland, Stuart. The International Dictionary of Psychology. 2nd. ed. New York: Macmillan Press, 1996. 166. Print.
- ^ American Psychological Association. APA Concise Dictionary of Psychology. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2009. 189. Print.
- ^ Santrock, John W. Children. 12th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. 218. Print.
- ^ Santrock, John W. Children. 12th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. 225. Print.
- Families and how to survive them(1994) p. 196-9
- ^ Skynner, p. 21-2, p. 199-201 and p. 244-6
- D. W. Winnicott, The Child, the Family, and the Outside World (1973) p. 115-6
- ^ Winnicott, p. 116-7
- ^ L. L. Dunlap, What All Children Need (2004) p. 79
- ^ PMID 24489431.
- ISSN 1522-8878.
- ^ D. N. Tutoo, Educational Psychology (1998) p. 476
- ^ Antonia Fraser, Perilous Question (London 2013) p. 130 and p. 175-6
- ^ Lana A. Whited, The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter (2004) p. 110-2
- ^ Quoted in V. Glendinning, Leonard Woolf (2006) p. 289