This study is an exploration of theoretical propositions and their integration with a clinical illustration in order to facilitate an understanding of the universal role of the good-enough father in the psychic development of the child. The premise underlying this study rests on the theoretical object relations framework of Margaret Mahler (197 4), extended by Abelin (1971, 1975), and taken into the phase of adolescence by Blas (1967,1985,1991), which provides a solid, clinical basis for understanding the dynamics of the separation-individuation process. This theoretical basis is expanded by an understanding of analytical psychology, providing the Jungian perspective on individuation, which is encapsulated in the archetypal themes of union, separation, and the capacity to sustain the tension of opposites. As a synthesis of these conceptual frameworks, the writer adopts the propositions put forward by Seligman (1986) that the absent father causes the child to remain enmeshed with the mother. Without a father's emotional support, it becomes almost insurmountably difficult for a child to negotiate the unavoidable separation from the mother, a prerequisite for the confirmation of his identity and the establishment of an autonomous lifestyle. As a treatment modality, Seligman (1986) further proposes that the analyst be "used" by the client's unconscious psyche to build up a live paternal presence within, a symbolic reinstatement of the father image, necessary for the crucial completion of the separation-individuation process. With the re-emergence of the father image, thus enabling a reconciliation of the inner parents, the mother can gradually be relinquished. Those aspects of the client's personality which had been committed to a real or imaginary "oneness" with the mother, and were thus unavailable for the enrichment of his own life, are restored to him, making him more "alive". The illustrative case study demonstrates this therapeutic approach with an adolescent boy who experienced father absence and presented in clinical social work practice with the symptomology of role confusion I individuation avoidance.

This qualitative study examined the perceived impact of absent fathers on students’ emotional, social, and academic constraints. Many factors can contribute to the loss of a father; so, for the purpose of this research, the researcher examined the impact of the absent father through incarceration and divorce. The research may enable educators to identify the challenges, celebrate victories, and explore what it the phenomenon of an adolescent without the presence of your biological father in our community, from the perspective of the educators. Information gathered through the administration of educator perception interviews was utilized to identify how an absent father manifests in our secondary students. The educators answered the questions based solely on their perceptions of students without a father they have encountered throughout their careers. The analysis of the data collected for the study allowed the researcher to develop an understanding of the social, emotional, and academic effects of father absence. The data collected could be utilized to teach educators how to recognize and react to the perceived implications of an absent father on a secondary student. The educators perceived that these students without a father are consistently searching for a father-figure to fill the void left by the absent father. The participants tended to perceive that this lack of a family structure can also lead to disciplinary, relational, academic, emotional, and communication struggles for these students. The perception of poverty and sadness or emptiness often exists, leading to low confidence, low motivation, and a lack of accountability. The perception of the educators was that the lack of security led to overall concern for responsibility and work ethic. The lack of structure outside the school can contribute to questioning authority or being disrespectful. The lack of discipline at home is perceived to equate to a poor work ethic, low amounts of responsibility, and a low quality of work. These students sometimes have a low self-esteem, thus low expectations and little attention to detail. It may not be the priority of the student to complete all work and therefore they become apathetic with low confidence and expectations for academic success.

In recent years renewed efforts have been made to enforce the edict of family responsibility, culminating in the enactment of the Child Support Act, 1991. Under this legislation, the duty of absent fathers to provide for their former families has been reinforced which great rigour. The primary aim of this study is to see if the outcomes of this Act could have been predicted through an historical analysis of past precedent. The period from 1900-1940 is investigated for comparison with the present day. Statutory measures which attempted to ensure that fathers complied with court orders were also enacted in these years. Moreover, they were passed in a political, economic and moral climate not dissimilar to the 1980s and 1990s. Through an examination of archival sources, this study looks at the reasons why governments then were anxious to find ways of preventing lone mother families from becoming a burden on central or local finances - and why they believed their support should not be the responsibility of the community. It then explores the outcome of these measures in terms of their success, or otherwise, from an administrative and financial perspective. Following a similar examination of the Child Support Act, a comparative analysis of efforts to reinforce the financial duty of absent fathers in both the early and late twentieth century is undertaken. From these findings it is concluded that important lessons from the past have been ignored at our peril.

Young men who grew up with emotionally absent fathers seem to find it difficult to attain equilibrium through dedication to both personal and relational concerns, probably because they tend to have low self-esteem, struggle to establish intimate relationships and may be at greater risk of engaging in antisocial or violent behaviour. The aim of this study was to explore the self-regulation strategies that white young adult male students employ to deal with the emotions and cognitions related to the experience of having emotionally absent fathers. Interactive Qualitative Analysis was applied to facilitate a discussion group process through which a hypothetical model for a purposive sample of nine participants’ self-regulation strategies was systematically constructed. Ten themes were identified, and judging from the model participants’ attempts at self-regulation seem to be unproductive in the long run, hence the presence of three feedback loops from which they are unable to produce constructive behavioural outcomes. Disappointment over emotionally absent fathers has introduced a number of inhibiting factors that hinder the participants’ growth towards self-actualisation. Results support the literature on the complex nature of self-regulation within conflicting relationships. Although the study was explorative and findings cannot be generalised, it does provide valuable cues for counsellors, psychologists and further research. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Young men who grew up with emotionally absent fathers seem to find it difficult to attain equilibrium through dedication to both personal and relational concerns, probably because they tend to have low self-esteem, struggle to establish intimate relationships and may be at greater risk of engaging in antisocial or violent behaviour. The aim of this study was to explore the self-regulation strategies that white young adult male students employ to deal with the emotions and cognitions related to the experience of having emotionally absent fathers. Interactive Qualitative Analysis was applied to facilitate a discussion group process through which a hypothetical model for a purposive sample of nine participants’ self-regulation strategies was systematically constructed. Ten themes were identified, and judging from the model participants’ attempts at self-regulation seem to be unproductive in the long run, hence the presence of three feedback loops from which they are unable to produce constructive behavioural outcomes. Disappointment over emotionally absent fathers has introduced a number of inhibiting factors that hinder the participants’ growth towards self-actualisation. Results support the literature on the complex nature of self-regulation within conflicting relationships. Although the study was explorative and findings cannot be generalised, it does provide valuable cues for counsellors, psychologists and further research. / MA (Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This study was predicated on the belief that a father brings something unique to the family, thus, making irreplaceable contributions to the life of a child. Fathers are unique in that they provide something different from mothers. They are irreplaceable because when they are absent, children are said to suffer emotionally, intellectually, socially, and behaviorally. The contributions of fathers to a child's well being cannot be fully replaced by better programming, ensuring child support programs, or even by well-intentioned mentoring programs. A review of literature relevant to delinquency and adolescent behavioral and academic success revealed that there may be a correlation between a male role-model and the teaching of self-control and socially appropriate behaviors. Indeed, much of what the large body of research pertaining to fatherhood reveals is that, compared to children raised in two-parent homes, children who grow up without their fathers have significantly worse outcomes, on average, on almost every measure of well being (Horn, 2002). In addition, an understanding of the factors that may influence delinquent behaviors, in particular within the family unit, can better equip parents and educators to support those who may be exhibiting the beginning signs of delinquent behavior. This study was designed to determine the influence of, or correlation between, juvenile delinquency and the presence or absence of a father-figure in a child's life. Responses made on the Delinquency Check List between two sample sets, delinquent and non-delinquent adolescents, were examined. The study attempted to determine if delinquent activity among adolescents was differentiated by the absence or presence of a father-figure in a child's life. This study also investigated the frequency and severity of delinquent activities between adolescents in the determined sample groups.

Thesis (M.A. (Social Work)) -- University of Limpopo, 2018 / The overall aim of the study was to explore the perceptions of the phenomenon ‘Absent Fathers’ in Mphanama Community. The objectives of the study were to assess the effects of culture and beliefs on the domination of parenting, to debunk the myth that marital status of parents determines the involvement of fathers in their children’s upbringing and to establish who is seen as having the majority power over the child in Northern Sotho culture as compared to other cultures. This study used qualitative approach because the researcher wanted to explore and understand the phenomenon of Absent Fathers. The researcher focused on feelings, behaviour, descriptions and words from the participants. The other reason for using this approach was to find reality about perceptions of the phenomenon absent fathers and explore their primary interpretation of their situation than that of the researcher. The researcher used exploratory research design. The data was collected through semi-structured face-to-face interview was collected from twenty (20) single mothers who are bona fide members of Mphanama and have not just visited the community at the time of the study. The sample was inclusive to single mothers who are bona fide members of Mphanama and have not just visited the community at the time of the study. Their marital statuses were not considered upon selection, so this may be mothers who were never married, married or even divorced women. The participants were from different ages as insight from all age cohorts will be highly valuable. The researcher underpinned the study from the feminist movement is vast in orientation and there is no singular prescription of what the feminist theory constitutes. It is however, stated that within the feminism there is a high degree of consensus that the distinct underlying principle is the awareness of gender and the politics of gender within society. The researcher used thematic data analysis. The researcher followed the steps of thematic data analysis which are transcription of data, checking and editing, Analysing and interpretation, and Generalization. This study is relevant to Social Work Profession and the Department of Social Development as it will contribute positively in delivering services to the clients served. The issue of absent fathers often leads to family dysfunction and leads to other social problems, this is frequently visible in rural families of low-economic-class where the father is usually seen as the sole provider for the family.

Studies on African fatherhood represent African fathers as problematic and in South Africa, they are identified as ‘‘emotionally disengaged, physically absent, abusive and do not pay for their children's upkeep'' (Morrell & Ritcher, 2006:81). Many studies link the high rates of absent fathers to poverty and irresponsibility. Such literature is devoid of cultural factors that might be contributing to the high rates of absent fathers in most African communities. Across Southern Africa, intlawulo, a customary practice that involves the paying of a fine by a man responsible for impregnating a woman out of wedlock and his family to the pregnant woman's family. Historically, intlawulo served as a critical means of regulating and mediating unmarried fathers' involvement in their children's lives. Therefore, this explorative qualitative research project explores African fathers' experiences of intlawulo and its subsequent links to father involvement. To gauge their experiences and interpretation of intlawulo and father involvement, I conducted face-to-face in-depth qualitative interviews with a purposive sample of 8 black Xhosa speaking South African fathers from Cape Town who have gone through the intlawulo negotiations for the past five years or less. This study aimed to explore how the customary practice of intlawulo or ‘paying damages' influences a father's involvement in his child's life in Khayelitsha, an urban township within Cape Town. It argued that the payment of intlawulo regulates a father's involvement in childrearing, his interaction with and access to his child. In contrast to how fathering has been described in previous literature, this thesis argues that becoming a father is a process and intlawulo is the entry point where it can be denied, stopped and negotiated.

Girls from father-absent families tend to form low levels of trust that may dictate relationships throughout life, including progression into leadership roles. There is evidence to suggest that girls raised in father-absent families fail to reach their potential, and therefore public programs that address the development of strong interpersonal and leadership skills would enhance these capacities. Unfortunately, public programming gaps exist for girls raised in father-absent families that would provide the skills needed to be effective leaders in their schools, communities, and careers. Using House's path-goal leadership theory as the framework, this phenomenological study explored how girls from father-absent families developed the skills to lead and what factors the women perceived to be contributors or barriers to their development as organization leaders. A sample of 10 women who were raised in father-absent families, and who held leadership positions in public or nonprofit sectors in the southeastern area of the United States participated in the in-depth interviews that generated data for this study. The data were coded and analyzed using a modified van Kaam method. Findings suggest that lack of trust hindered the transition and development into a leadership role, as did the leadership style of the participant. Alternatively, participants reported that their sense of resiliency and spiritual connections were factors that helped in their development as leaders. These results may contribute to social change by providing policymakers, leaders, and service organizations recommendations that will encourage support for public programming initiatives for girls from father-absent families.

Fatherlessness seems to have instigated a growing political and social debate in recent years (Daniels, 1998). At the core of this debate lies the questions of whether fatherlessness today is more widespread than it has been historically, and whether the necessity and efficacy of fathers is important in the changing landscape of family paradigms (Daniels, 1998). In the last thirty years, research has defined fatherlessness in terms of parental marital status, father abandonment, and father death (Daniels, 1998; Gallagher, 1998; Popenoe, 1996). Some psychoanalysts extended the definition to include the emotional absence (Blundell, 2002), or emotional unavailability of the father (Lamb & Tamis-LeMonda, 2004). Research suggests that children raised by both biological parents have greater socio-economic success (McLanahan & Teitler, 1999), seem to have an intellectual advantage (Research Center for Minority Data, 2009), and are less prone to encounter emotional problems than single-parented children (Cockett and Tripp, 1994). These factors reflect the deficit model of fatherlessness that dominated child development research prior to the 1970s (Hawkins and Dollahite, 1997). More current research focused on the benefits of father involvement and purported that fathers who are more involved in the lives of their children (Day & Lamb, 2004; Pleck & Masciadrelli, 2004), and make themselves more emotionally available tend to raise children with fewer emotional problems and better overall mental health (Lum & Phares, 2005). With society producing what some refer to as a fatherless generation (Hydrate Studios, 2006), and a number of researchers attesting that fatherlessness is a devastating modern, social trend (Blackenhorn, 1995; Popenoe, 1996), current qualitative research was warranted in order to explore factors that lead fatherless individuals to assume a fatherless identity. In this exploratory case study, semi-structured interviews were conducted to better understand fatherlessness as experienced by adult male case study participants. The study focused on the experiences of men in order to manage the scope of research, and defer to the male experiences that prompted the research. Four men self-identified as fatherless with no imposed research definition by responding to the recruitment question Are You Fatherless? Results indicated that historical ways of defining fatherless were merely factors that intensify the experience; they do not define a person as fatherless. Findings suggested that the father role, family dynamics, emotionality, socio-economic and intellectual factors, disparate ideal and perceived father images, negative emotional connections with fathers, and a sons sense of masculinity all play a part in men assuming a fatherless identity.