The Father's Role and Father-Child Interaction: A Review of Literature

아버지-아동관계에 관한 이론적 고찰 - 아버지의 역할 및 아버지-아동의 상호작용을 중심으로 -

The purpose of this study is to systematize the theory of the father-child relationship by analyzing the father's role and father-child interaction. The results of this study are as followings: (1) The oedipal period 3 to 5 years is a critical in development of the father-child relationship. Father absence is assumed in infancy but it is denying because the father participates in Child- rearing activity. (2) The Father's role is symbolized instrumental role traditionally and culturally but it is appropriate that we think the father's role to be androgynous concepts. Instrumental role as well as expressive role is expected to father's role. (3) The role of the father is supplementary mother's role. The father provides economic, emotional support and helps the balanced child- rearing. This indirect role of the father is very important. (4) The father influences child development, and his role is to be sex-role model to contrieve personality internalize moral development. But it is needed more empirical study to clarify father's effects on child development. (5) The amount of time that fathers spend with their children is less than mothers, but it is not assumed that difference of this amount of time do not differently influence to the children. (6) There are much similarity that difference between father-child interaction and mother- child interaction. Qualitative difference in interaction is response style. A responsive style of the father is physical intellectual instructive but mother's is verbal. (7) The effects of the father to a child must be analyzed on dyadic dimension and triadic dimension of family network. In triadic dimension, father influences mother- child relationship, mother to response sensitively, husband-wife relation.