For many years the focus of research on child well-being and development has been primarily on the dynamics of the mother-child relationship. The mother was seen as the more influential parent as she spends more time with the children. The father’s role in the development process was thus undermined. Fortunately research on the father’s involvement in a child’s life has improved over the past thirty years. Where previously fathers were mostly perceived as the breadwinners and providers they are now also considered as being caregivers who are more closely involved with their children and the accompanying responsibilities. Research indicates the importance of a father’s role in child development and has found that the intellectual, emotional and social development of a child is influenced by the father. The most beneficial circumstances for children to grow up in is where both of the biological parents are part of the household, satisfied with their marital relationship and loving towards their children. Unfortunately there is a significant increase in South African families where the father is absent and where the mother is burdened with additional responsibilities. However, a father can be emotionally absent despite physical proximity and emotionally absent fathers can be included when describing fatherlessness due to the destructive effect it has on children. Some research indicates that a father is the most significant factor in his daughter’s life and the quality of their relationship influences her personality and general well-being in life. Most literature focusing on the paternal parenting role is more focused on the father-son dyad, the least studied parent-adult child dyad is that of adult daughters and fathers. A great number of research studies on the subjects of divorce, single parents, physically absent fathers and the resulting effects on males are available. Much less literature, especially in the South African context, can be found to focus on and explain the experiences of young adult women who grew up with an emotionally absent father. The aim of the study was thus to explore the subjective experiences of young adult women who grew up with an emotionally absent father. A qualitative research method was used with a phenomenological approach as research design. Eleven voluntary, 20-31 year old adult women, participated in the study and were recruited by word of mouth. Data were collected through in-depth interviews that were audio taped and transcribed verbatim. Transcribed data were analysed by means of thematic analysis from which themes and sub-themes were derived. Two main themes with sub-themes were identified. It was found that the participants experienced their fathers as emotionally absent because it was difficult to share their emotions with them, the participants' fathers did not show affection or express their love. They showed no interest, approval or acknowledgement and the participants found it difficult to trust their fathers. According to the participants their relationships with other men were influenced because of this. They further struggled with trusting other people and suffered from a low self-esteem. Due to repressed emotions they did not portray their true self and sought their fathers’ approval by doing things he liked. / MA (Clinical Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

For many years the focus of research on child well-being and development has been primarily on the dynamics of the mother-child relationship. The mother was seen as the more influential parent as she spends more time with the children. The father’s role in the development process was thus undermined. Fortunately research on the father’s involvement in a child’s life has improved over the past thirty years. Where previously fathers were mostly perceived as the breadwinners and providers they are now also considered as being caregivers who are more closely involved with their children and the accompanying responsibilities. Research indicates the importance of a father’s role in child development and has found that the intellectual, emotional and social development of a child is influenced by the father. The most beneficial circumstances for children to grow up in is where both of the biological parents are part of the household, satisfied with their marital relationship and loving towards their children. Unfortunately there is a significant increase in South African families where the father is absent and where the mother is burdened with additional responsibilities. However, a father can be emotionally absent despite physical proximity and emotionally absent fathers can be included when describing fatherlessness due to the destructive effect it has on children. Some research indicates that a father is the most significant factor in his daughter’s life and the quality of their relationship influences her personality and general well-being in life. Most literature focusing on the paternal parenting role is more focused on the father-son dyad, the least studied parent-adult child dyad is that of adult daughters and fathers. A great number of research studies on the subjects of divorce, single parents, physically absent fathers and the resulting effects on males are available. Much less literature, especially in the South African context, can be found to focus on and explain the experiences of young adult women who grew up with an emotionally absent father. The aim of the study was thus to explore the subjective experiences of young adult women who grew up with an emotionally absent father. A qualitative research method was used with a phenomenological approach as research design. Eleven voluntary, 20-31 year old adult women, participated in the study and were recruited by word of mouth. Data were collected through in-depth interviews that were audio taped and transcribed verbatim. Transcribed data were analysed by means of thematic analysis from which themes and sub-themes were derived. Two main themes with sub-themes were identified. It was found that the participants experienced their fathers as emotionally absent because it was difficult to share their emotions with them, the participants' fathers did not show affection or express their love. They showed no interest, approval or acknowledgement and the participants found it difficult to trust their fathers. According to the participants their relationships with other men were influenced because of this. They further struggled with trusting other people and suffered from a low self-esteem. Due to repressed emotions they did not portray their true self and sought their fathers’ approval by doing things he liked. / MA (Clinical Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

In this memoir, I use the elements and conventions of creative nonfiction to examine particular strands of my experience for significance. Initiated as an inquiry into my father's suicide, this book quickly shifted focus, re-centering around my own development as an individual, a woman, and a writer. Both my father's suicide and the subsequent birth of my daughter serve as focal points for this inquiry, which I use to articulate and explore questions related to identity development, male-female relationships and gender roles, female sexuality, mental illness, trauma, loss, grief, and the inheritance of intergenerational traumas. In places, my investigation also broadens to consider the social, economic, and cultural contexts in which my story, and my family's story, have taken place. My goal in writing this book was to reclaim something of value from a series of personal and familial tragedies and triumphs. I believe that the act of using tragedy as raw material for a new creation is in itself an act of hope. By bearing witness—both to the events that have occurred, and to my personal experience of these events—I see myself as contributing to a larger human project. Every contribution to this project, whether technological innovation or philosophical revelation, shares a common goal: that of counterbalancing the brevity of our physical lives with the richness of our shared human experience.

No description available.

Sea Stories is a collection of creative nonfiction essays centered around the growth of a young woman through her experiences with water and ships. The pieces trace the origins of the narrator's tie to water from a childhood involving boating with her dad to sailing a brigantine across the Pacific Ocean and then a six-year career as an officer in the U.S. Coast Guard. The narrator's relationship with her father, predominantly viewed through their shared intimacy with water, is a base theme for the whole collection. Other themes explored in individual essays include reckoning expectations with reality, explorations of the self in and against a group, gender dynamics in military service, and the influence of fiction on life. Sea Stories shows that what we think we know, what we may have only imagined, and on the water, that self-constructed reality can be a dangerous thing.

Os Transtornos Alimentares (TAs) são considerados quadros psicossomáticos, nos quais são observadas graves alterações no comportamento alimentar. O aumento da prevalência e os prejuízos vivenciados pelos indivíduos portadores de TAs fazem com que essas psicopatologias recebam a crescente atenção do meio científico. Há evidências de que aspectos da dinâmica familiar influenciam o surgimento e o curso do transtorno. As novas formações familiares e a inserção da mulher no mercado de trabalho cobram uma maior participação masculina no cuidado dos filhos. Winnicott defende que, a cada etapa do desenvolvimento emocional, o pai tem um papel importante para o amadurecimento da criança. Os estudos mostram que o pai de mulheres com TAs não conseguem se mostrar presentes no desenvolvimento psicoafetivo das filhas. Considerando a escassez de estudos sobre a figura paterna, o presente estudo teve como objetivo investigar os psicodinamismos envolvidos na relação pai-filha no contexto dos TAs. Trata-se de um estudo clínico-qualitativo, fundamentado teoricamente na psicanálise, especificamente, na teoria winnicottiana. Participaram da pesquisa seis mulheres com diagnóstico de TAs e seus respectivos pais (progenitores do sexo masculino). Com cada participante foi realizada entrevista semiestruturada e aplicação do Procedimento de Desenhos de Família com Estórias (DF-E). As verbalizações foram audiogravadas mediante consentimento dos participantes. O material obtido com o DF-E foi analisado por meio do método de livre inspeção. Os resultados encontrados na entrevista semiestruturada e no DF-E foram submetidos à análise de conteúdo temática. Os dados analisados indicaram uma relação pai-filha marcada pela pouca permissividade a demonstrações afetivas. Foram encontradas figuras paternas que, enquanto filhos, enfrentaram a ausência do pai ou pais extremamente autoritários, assim como o convívio com figuras maternas pouco disponíveis para trocas afetivas. Cuidados dentro de um ambiente com dificuldades em satisfazer suas necessidades afetivas, os pais, a fim de evitar o acesso às angústias suscitadas pela insatisfação, afastavam-se defensivamente das emoções. Concomitante à presença de pais distantes afetivamente, as filhas buscavam continência e aceitação de seus pais. Elas percebiam a preocupação e o cuidado por parte deles, entretanto, mostravam-se insatisfeitas. Pode-se inferir que, na falta de um ambiente que lhes apoiasse na integração de suas vivências, elas utilizavam o corpo como instrumento de comunicação da fome que sentiam de continência parental. Os achados deste estudo apontam para a relevância do envolvimento paterno na manifestação sintomática das filhas. Dessa forma, a inclusão do pai no tratamento das filhas pode possibilitar melhores possibilidades de integração das vivências emocionais da díade. / Eating Disorders (EDs) are considered psychosomatic conditions, characterized by severe alterations in eating behavior. The increasing prevalence and harms experienced by individuals with EDs make these psychopathologies receive growing attention from the scientific community. There are evidences that aspects of family dynamics influence the onset and course of the disorder. The new family configurations and the inclusion of women in the labor market demand a greater male participation in child care. Winnicott argues that, at each stage of emotional development, the father has an important role in the emotional maturation of the child. Studies show that fathers of women with EDs are not able to have a significant presence during the psycho-affective development of their daughters. In view of the lack of studies on the father figure, the objective in this study was to investigate the psychodynamics involved in the father-daughter relationship in the context of EDs. It is a clinical-qualitative research with a psychoanalytic approach, specifically Winnicott\'s theory. Six women diagnosed with EDs and their fathers participated. A semi-structured interview was held with each participant and the Procedure of Family Drawings with Stories (DF-E) was performed. Verbalizations were audio recorded with the participants\' consent. The material obtained with the DF-E was analyzed by means of the free inspection method. The findings from the semi-structured interviews and DF-E were subject to thematic content analysis. The data indicated a father-daughter relationship marked by low permissiveness of affective manifestations. The results show that the fathers, during childhood, faced absent or authoritarian father figures, as well as mother figures not available for emotional exchanges. Educated within an environment struggling to meet their emotional needs, in order to avoid access to the anguish aroused by affective dissatisfaction, the parents defensively avoided their emotions. Together with the presence of emotionally distant fathers, daughters sought their continence and acceptance. Daugthers perceived the concern and care of their fathers, but showed they were dissatisfied. It can be inferred that, in the absence of an environment that would support the daughters in integrating their experiences, they used the body as a tool to express the lack of parental affection. These study findings highlighted the relevance of paternal involvement in the symptomatic manifestation of their daughters. Thus, the inclusion of fathers in the daughters\' treatment may provide better opportunities to integrate the emotional experiences of both.

Os Transtornos Alimentares (TAs) são considerados quadros psicossomáticos, nos quais são observadas graves alterações no comportamento alimentar. O aumento da prevalência e os prejuízos vivenciados pelos indivíduos portadores de TAs fazem com que essas psicopatologias recebam a crescente atenção do meio científico. Há evidências de que aspectos da dinâmica familiar influenciam o surgimento e o curso do transtorno. As novas formações familiares e a inserção da mulher no mercado de trabalho cobram uma maior participação masculina no cuidado dos filhos. Winnicott defende que, a cada etapa do desenvolvimento emocional, o pai tem um papel importante para o amadurecimento da criança. Os estudos mostram que o pai de mulheres com TAs não conseguem se mostrar presentes no desenvolvimento psicoafetivo das filhas. Considerando a escassez de estudos sobre a figura paterna, o presente estudo teve como objetivo investigar os psicodinamismos envolvidos na relação pai-filha no contexto dos TAs. Trata-se de um estudo clínico-qualitativo, fundamentado teoricamente na psicanálise, especificamente, na teoria winnicottiana. Participaram da pesquisa seis mulheres com diagnóstico de TAs e seus respectivos pais (progenitores do sexo masculino). Com cada participante foi realizada entrevista semiestruturada e aplicação do Procedimento de Desenhos de Família com Estórias (DF-E). As verbalizações foram audiogravadas mediante consentimento dos participantes. O material obtido com o DF-E foi analisado por meio do método de livre inspeção. Os resultados encontrados na entrevista semiestruturada e no DF-E foram submetidos à análise de conteúdo temática. Os dados analisados indicaram uma relação pai-filha marcada pela pouca permissividade a demonstrações afetivas. Foram encontradas figuras paternas que, enquanto filhos, enfrentaram a ausência do pai ou pais extremamente autoritários, assim como o convívio com figuras maternas pouco disponíveis para trocas afetivas. Cuidados dentro de um ambiente com dificuldades em satisfazer suas necessidades afetivas, os pais, a fim de evitar o acesso às angústias suscitadas pela insatisfação, afastavam-se defensivamente das emoções. Concomitante à presença de pais distantes afetivamente, as filhas buscavam continência e aceitação de seus pais. Elas percebiam a preocupação e o cuidado por parte deles, entretanto, mostravam-se insatisfeitas. Pode-se inferir que, na falta de um ambiente que lhes apoiasse na integração de suas vivências, elas utilizavam o corpo como instrumento de comunicação da fome que sentiam de continência parental. Os achados deste estudo apontam para a relevância do envolvimento paterno na manifestação sintomática das filhas. Dessa forma, a inclusão do pai no tratamento das filhas pode possibilitar melhores possibilidades de integração das vivências emocionais da díade. / Eating Disorders (EDs) are considered psychosomatic conditions, characterized by severe alterations in eating behavior. The increasing prevalence and harms experienced by individuals with EDs make these psychopathologies receive growing attention from the scientific community. There are evidences that aspects of family dynamics influence the onset and course of the disorder. The new family configurations and the inclusion of women in the labor market demand a greater male participation in child care. Winnicott argues that, at each stage of emotional development, the father has an important role in the emotional maturation of the child. Studies show that fathers of women with EDs are not able to have a significant presence during the psycho-affective development of their daughters. In view of the lack of studies on the father figure, the objective in this study was to investigate the psychodynamics involved in the father-daughter relationship in the context of EDs. It is a clinical-qualitative research with a psychoanalytic approach, specifically Winnicott\'s theory. Six women diagnosed with EDs and their fathers participated. A semi-structured interview was held with each participant and the Procedure of Family Drawings with Stories (DF-E) was performed. Verbalizations were audio recorded with the participants\' consent. The material obtained with the DF-E was analyzed by means of the free inspection method. The findings from the semi-structured interviews and DF-E were subject to thematic content analysis. The data indicated a father-daughter relationship marked by low permissiveness of affective manifestations. The results show that the fathers, during childhood, faced absent or authoritarian father figures, as well as mother figures not available for emotional exchanges. Educated within an environment struggling to meet their emotional needs, in order to avoid access to the anguish aroused by affective dissatisfaction, the parents defensively avoided their emotions. Together with the presence of emotionally distant fathers, daughters sought their continence and acceptance. Daugthers perceived the concern and care of their fathers, but showed they were dissatisfied. It can be inferred that, in the absence of an environment that would support the daughters in integrating their experiences, they used the body as a tool to express the lack of parental affection. These study findings highlighted the relevance of paternal involvement in the symptomatic manifestation of their daughters. Thus, the inclusion of fathers in the daughters\' treatment may provide better opportunities to integrate the emotional experiences of both.

A memoir that focuses on the complications of growing as the only daughter of a mother from Okinawa and a father from the United States. They met at a nightclub, where her mother worked as a waitress, outside an Army base, where her father was stationed during U.S. Military occupation of the island. These marriages between Okinawan women and U.S. Servicemen have been quite common since 1945, after the Battle of Okinawa, when a massive complex of bases was first established. Okinawan women must leave their homes and their families to follow their husbands to the United States, where they are faced with challenges of racism, language barriers and isolation. Their children often grow up rejecting and resenting their Okinawan identities, causing further alienation.

This creative thesis illustrates how the writer initiated a ‘call-and-response’ dialogue as a healing strategy to heal her relationship with her non-abusive biological father after revealing to him that her stepfather had sexually abused her from ages 14 to 22. This memoir both contributes to the field of Women’s Studies and provides an example that other sexual abuse survivors can follow to heal their intimate relationships.

No description available.