“Fathers and Children”: Psychodynamic View on Father’s Role in Child’s Development

Abstract

We analyze the father’s role in child development and present psychodynamic view on the stages of child development. A clinical case and history of psychoanalytic treatment are presented. A number of modern theoretical views on a father’s role in child development are integrated into clinical material. We consider the functions and features of the father’s role in the symbiotic, practicing and rapproachment phases of child development. The phenomenon of the alienated (forced) identification is outlined, and its potential consequences are analyzed. We emphasize the role of parents as a couple at the Oedipal stage and draw out the prerequisites of psychologically healthy fatherhood stemming both from the father’s personality and from the couple’s dynamics.

Keywords

• early triangulation
• separation
• paternal function
• maternal deprivation
• mentalization
• alienated identification
• narcissistic parent