Fathers Families And Relationships

In this exciting book, leading fatherhood scholars from Europe and Scandinavia offer unique insights into how to research fathers and fatherhood in contemporary society. Outlining research methods in detail, including examples of large scale studies, online research, surveys and visual and aural methods, they explore how each approach worked in practice, what the benefits and pitfalls were, and what the wider and future application of the chosen research methods might be. Covering a wide range of subjects from non-resident fathers to father engagement in child protection, this major contribution to the field also critiques and addresses the notion that fathers, especially young fathers, can be ‘hard to reach’. Essential reading for both students and policy makers in a fast-growing area of interest.

[Buy this book now only at iUniverse.com bookstore. Order from bookstores everywhere in 4-6 weeks!] Much as Nancy Friday's My Mother My Self explored the mother-daughter bond, this book illuminates the emotional themes that surround the important relationship betyween fathers and sons in terms both practical and theoretical, both enlightening and moving. Drawing upon extensive case-history material, based on interviews with over 100 fathers and sons from a cross section of society, Yablonsky defines the various prototypes of each -- autocratic, egocentric, and distant fathers, compliant and rebellious sons; their interactions and interdependencies; their individual rights and duties and their obligations to each other ; the normal and pathological conflicts between them and how mothers and daughters can intervene constructively in such conflicts; the degree to which a father's status in the world can affect his son's aspirations -- and how a son's success or failure can affect his father; and other important dimensions of this complex relationship. Fathers and Sons is an important, definitive, highly useful guide for all men who want to improve their own such relationships and for the women who want to better understand the fathers and sons in their lives.

The American family is changing. Divorce, single parents, and stepfamilies are redefi ning the ways we live together and raise our children. Many "experts" feel these seemingly inevitable changes should be celebrated; they claim that the "new" families, which often lack a strong father, are actually healthier than traditional two-parent families—or, at the very least, do children no harm. But as David Popenoe shows in Families Without Fathers this optimistic view is severely misguided. Examining evidence from social and behavioral science, history, and evolutionary biology, Popenoe shows why fathers today are deserting their families in record numbers. The disintegration of the child-centered, two parent family—especially in the inner cities, where as many as two in three children are growing up without their fathers—and the weakening commitment of fathers to their children that more and more follows divorce, are central causes of many of our worst individual and social problems. Juvenile delinquency, drug and alcohol abuse, teenage pregnancy, welfare dependency, and child poverty can be directly traced to fathers' lack of involvement in their children's lives. Our situation will only get worse, Popenoe warns, unless men are willing to renew their commitment to their marriages and to their children. Yet he is not just an alarmist. He suggests concrete policies, and new ways of thinking and acting that will help all fathers improve their marriages and family lives, and tells us what we as individuals and as a society can do to support and strengthen the most important thing a man can do.

Biller, well known for his extensive research into the impacts of involved fathering or the absence thereof, provides a comprehensive, straightforward analysis of just how important paternal involvement really is. He describes the great advantages accruing to a child when the father, as well as the mother, actively participates in the parenting process. Fathers who sustain high interest and a true presence in a child's nurturing significantly influence body image, self-esteem, moral standards, intellectual achievement, and social competency. The benefits, Biller shows, extend beyond the father-child relationship and include heightened spousal satisfaction and a sense of overall family well-being. The reciprocal influences of father, mother, and child development, are considered within a lifespan biopsychosocial perspective. This is an important and compelling treatment of a topic of immense concern not only to individual families but to society as a whole. Biller, by relating specific issues to fathers' roles and influences, offers the first integrated analysis of just how important a father's caring presence and active involvement is to his child's--and spouse's--psychosocial well-being. This balanced study of paternal factors addresses not only such issues as nurturance, discipline, and the cultivation of self-esteem, intelligence, and creativity but also family problems so evident in current society. There is a thorough analysis concerning complex connections among gender roles, parenting, and personality development. The work is highly substantive, realistic, and encouraging in its potential for guidance and offers insightful, useful conclusions on paternal behavior and influences.

In 28 chapters and extensive editorial commentary, this book explores the changing roles of fathers -- changes prompted partly by societal shifts and partly by changes in the family and in "traditional" parental roles. Among the topical studies con

The goal of this Handbook is to address the challenges that face researchers of father involvement across disciplines.Each of the sections of this handbook presents current perspectives and challenges to research on father involvement w/in a specialized

In this fully revised new edition, Father-Daughter Relationships: Contemporary Research and Issues summarises and analyses the most relevant research regarding father-daughter relationships, aiming to break down the persistent misconceptions regarding fatherhood and father-daughter relationships and encourage the reader to take a more objective and analytical approach. The research is brought to life with compelling personal stories from fathers and daughters, including well-known celebrities and politicians. Boxed quizzes and questionnaires show students how the research can be applied to their own lives while others highlight the relationships between real-life fathers and daughters. Nielsen discusses the father-daughter relationship within a diverse range of family structures, including divorced and separated parents, gay parents, adopted children and children of sperm donors. Covering a wide range of topics, including the father’s impact on his daughter’s cognitive, academic, social and physical wellbeing, ethnic minorities, and incarcerated or abusive fathers, Father-Daughter Relationships: Contemporary Research and Issues gives panoramic view of the most recent research and statistics. This book is essential reading for upper level undergraduate and for graduate students, as well as for practitioners working with families, such as social workers, mental health professionals and family counsellors. It is especially relevant for courses in psychology, sociology, women’s studies, and counselling. Linda Nielsen is a Professor of Adolescent and Educational Psychology at Wake Forest University. A member of the faculty for 35 years, she is a nationally recognized expert on father-daughter relationships.

There's no denying that a woman's relationship with her father is one of the most important in her life. And there's also no getting around how the quality of that relationship—good, bad, or otherwise—profoundly affects daughters in a multitude of ways. In Our Fathers, Ourselves, research psychologist, author and scholar Dr. Peggy Drexler examines the ways in which the father-daughter bond impacts women and offers helpful advice for creating a better, stronger, more rewarding relationship. Through her extensive research and interviews with women, Dr. Drexler paints an intimate, timely portrait of the modern father-daughter relationship. Women today are increasingly looking to their dads for a less-than-traditional bond, but one that still stands the test of time and provides support, respect, and guidance for the lives they lead today. Our Fathers, Ourselves is essential reading for any woman who has ever wondered how she could forge a closer connection with and gain a deeper understanding of her father.

In this exciting book, leading fatherhood scholars from Europe and Scandinavia offer unique insights into how to research fathers and fatherhood in contemporary society. Outlining research methods in detail, including examples of large scale studies, online research, surveys and visual and aural methods, they explore how each approach worked in practice, what the benefits and pitfalls were, and what the wider and future application of the chosen research methods might be. Covering a wide range of subjects from non-resident fathers to father engagement in child protection, this major contribution to the field also critiques and addresses the notion that fathers, especially young fathers, can be ‘hard to reach’. Essential reading for both students and policy makers in a fast-growing area of interest.