Fathers Influence On Children's Development

Impact on children The importance of fathers and the degree of contact with their children can be essential in the development of children. People go through many stages of development. According to Erik Erikson (1902-1994) who was a developmental psychologist and psychoanalyst, known for theories about the social development of man, it is important to resolve the conflicts that occur during each stage of development to be able to continue to the next stage of development. Identity develops within a psychosocial context. As the child grows up, they come in contact with a more complex social network of family, neighbors, teachers and friends, all of which have an influence on the establishment of the identity. From this theoretical assumption

Economic support of the family constitutes an indirect but important way in which fathers contribute to the rearing and emotional health of their children. (Lamb M. E., 2004) A second important, indirect source of influence that the father has is the ability to emotionally and actively support the other people, mainly the mother, in the care of the children. When the father is able to emotionally support the mother, it will contribute to a better mother-child relationship, which in turn will positively influence the children in their development. Furthermore when fathers help with child-related chores it can positively affect the families’ dynamics and the mothers’ workload is less. A father helping with child-related chores can also impact the way the children behave in another way. The paternal involvement will provide models of behavior that children will either copy or reject. (Lamb M. E., 2004) “Many of the behavior patterns acquired in childhood are the result of lessons derived from observing others and adjusting one’s behavior accordingly.” (Lamb M. E., 2004, p. 9) The evidence suggests that when a father is absent it may affect the development of children negatively. Not only because there is no gender role model but also because many paternal roles; economic, social and emotional are not being fulfilled or inappropriately presented. Growing up in a single parent family can lead to lower well-being, increased risk of problem behaviour and poor school