Provides a foundation for future experimental research on the origins in mother-infant interaction of sex differences in the development of a separate sense of self. Suggests that sex differences in the experience of a separate sense of self begin to emerge in early infancy and that mothers engage in different types of contact with sons and…

An experiment was conducted to test the theory that young boys prefer the companionship of their fathers in play activities to that of their mothers, while young girls have no particular preference. It was hypothesized that a boy has this preference because he has been cared for primarily by his mother, and his discovery of sex-identity leaves him…

The authors discuss several studies which invalidate the common presumption that fathers play an insignificant role in the sociopersonality development of their infant children. It is shown that fathers are extremely salient individuals in the lives of their children, particularly their sons. (Author)

Although parental effects on the personality development of children have been well examined, fathers' influence and effects on older children have received little attention. To investigate fathers' involvement in the attitude and personality development of college women, 333 women, ages 18 to 23, completed a three-part questionnaire gathering…

Father absence and measures of sex role attitudes in children have been examined in previous research. To investigate whether father presence is more likely to be positively related to instrumentality in both boys and girls, children and their parents completed questionnaires. Boys scored higher than girls on the instrumentality measures. Children…

Information about the influence fathers have on their children's development is provided in this booklet. Chapter One reviews research focused on father-absence and inadequate fathering. Societal expectations for fathers, paternal deprivation, children's emotional, cognitive and social development as well as sex-role adjustment are briefly…

Father-absent and father-present seveth graders were compared on moral attributes and overt aggression. Some evidence suggests that some but not all of the effects of father absence are attributable to the lack of a paternal model. Effects may be mediated in part by changes in the mother's child-rearing pattern. (NH)

Examines the intergenerational transmission and the formation of cultural orientations in adolescence. Results revealed late adolescence is the "formative phase" for the establishment of cultural orientations and suggested psychological processes such as internalization guide this formation. It was concluded that the investigated…

This study examined the role personality variables play in sibling relationships. It proposed that the characteristics of sibling relationships are influenced by: family constellation variables such as birth order, gender, and age spacing; parent-child relationships including quality of relationship and parent management of siblings; and the…

The present paper focuses on the status of the research literature on fathering and emphasizes the need for further research concerning the impact of the father on the personality development of children. (Author)

Family socialization patterns were examined from the viewpoint of the child and the parent in terms of parental socialization practices, attitudes, and goals. Questionnaires were developed and used to collect data on the parents of about 1,300 families and the children (7-13 years old) of approximately 400 families in West Germany. Results of…

This paper presents a broad discussion of the importance of a child's attachment to his mother and the relationship of such attachment to the child's optimal psychic development. Research at the Children's Unit of the Eastern Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute (which focused on children's aggression and gender formation) is described. This…

One factor consistently overlooked in the literature of both empirical research and treatment intervention strategies is the role of the father in the development and treatment of childhood disturbances. In declaring the mother-child relationship as the setting within which childhood disturbances occur, researchers assumed that the father was…

This paper presents a literature review and the author's views on the male role in parenting, including the choice not to parent. The traditional view of male parenting is reviewed, with an emphasis on the effects of the traditional paternal role on the development of children. The materials shift in focus to a broader consideration of the…

Erikson marked adolescence for the prime developmental task of identity achievement. An examination of 31 mothers, aged 25 to 45, revealed that foreclosure of identity development was the norm for this sample in adolescence and that, for those who had achieved identity, the subsequent status change was related to the liberating influences of…