A research Report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements toward the
degree of Master of Arts in Social and Psychological Research by Coursework and
Research Report, University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, School of
Human and Community Development. / Current research on fatherhood in South Africa highlighted a shift in the perceptions
of the fathering role entailing an increase in emotional involvement with their
children. In addition, existing research on fatherhood indicated ways in which the
fathers’ experience of emotional support systems influence their fathering roles, in
terms of paternal involvement. This research explores young fathers’ perceptions of
the importance their emotional involvement with their children. In addition, it
explores young fathers’ experience of emotional support systems. This further
highlight how such support influences participants’ perceptions of the importance of
the father’s emotional involvement with his child. The sample for this study consisted
of four young fathers between the ages of 18 to 22 years old. With the use of semistructured
interviews as the method of data collection, interview transcripts were
analysed using thematic analysis. This study used a social constructionist approach as
its theoretical framework.
The findings of this study suggest that these young fathers perceived the importance
of the father’s emotional involvement and the formation of the bond between father
and child as the personal growth that they experienced. Both types of growth resulted
in emotional rewards for participants. In addition, the young fathers’ constructions of
a ‘good father’ and their constructed understanding of fatherhood as a form of
‘ownership’, accompanied their strong sense of duty to fulfil these roles. This
involved being emotionally invested in their child’s lives. For these young fathers
their emotional support systems consisted of friends, family members, the mother of
their child and the mother of their child’s family. This emotional support was in the
form of advice and behaviour. This behaviour consisted of their behaviour toward the
fathers, such as… In addition, it also included their behaviours as role models, for
example these fathers’ involvement in their children’s lives were actively learnt
through the guidance of their support systems. It was found that such support assisted
the transition into fatherhood and provided these young fathers with a sense of
reassurance of their roles and duties, prompting their emotional involvement with
their children. / NG (2020)
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/29340 |
| Date | January 2019 |
| Creators | Poonsammy, Carissa |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | Online resource (113 leaves), application/pdf, application/pdf |
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