Psychosocial Development: Fathering during Childhood and Adolescence

Abstract

Findings in this study are based on participate indication of father figure type during childhood and adolescence and the effects of father figure type on psychosocial development. Specifically, the five (5) different father figure types investigated were: (1) positive biological father figure, (2) negative biological father figure, (3) positive non-biological father figure, (4) a combination of a positive non-biological father figure and negative biological father figure, and (5) no father figure. This study was guided by Erik Erikson’s Theory of Psychosocial Development, which explains the importance of mastering different tasks and developing different virtues during specific stages of human development. Specifically, two research questions were investigated: (1) Which psychosocial strengths or weaknesses best predict no father figure during childhood and adolescence? In addition, (2) what is the difference in the psychosocial development of individuals based on father figure type during childhood and adolescence as it relates to research question one? There were 188 adult participates who were administered a pre-questionnaire in order to gather information on father figure type experienced during childhood and adolescence. The participants then were administered the Measures of Psychosocial Development (MPD). Lastly the participants were administered a post-questionnaire pertaining to father figure type (different from the pre- questionnaire) in order to validate the father figure type that was indicated in the prequestionnaire. The results of this study found that the best psychosocial development predictors of no father figure during childhood and adolescence were significant deficits in the psychosocial virtues of hope/faith and willpower and significant deficits in the psychosocial tasks of trust and autonomy. The results of this study also found that participants who indicated that they had a positive biological father during childhood and adolescence scored higher than any other father figure type on the psychosocial virtues of hope/faith and willpower and psychosocial tasks of trust and autonomy. These findings suggest that efforts to make sure children and adolescents have a father figure will be essentially beneficial to children and adolescents as adults. These findings also suggest that situations that deprive children and adolescents of having a father figure can contribute to negative outcomes for these children and adolescents as adults.