Multiple attachments and the role of the father
Babies form emotional bonds with several caregivers, not just one. Fathers can play a distinct role in a child's development, separate from the mother's role.
Real World
Research by Grossmann (2002) found that fathers' style of play — such as rough-and-tumble games — predicted the quality of adolescent attachments, suggesting fathers contribute uniquely to emotional development rather than simply duplicating the mother's role.
Exam Focus
Distinguish between fathers as primary attachment figures and fathers as secondary play partners — the evidence supports different conclusions for each.
Evaluation Scaffold
A four-step framework for high-quality evaluation. Use this for 'assess', 'evaluate', and 'to what extent' questions.
How well did you know this?