Biological Father Absences

A parent is loosely defined as a mother and father who raises a child to their full potential. Most kids are raised by either their biological and/or stepparent. In some cases, however, there are children who grew up not knowing their biological father. According to (Wolf, 2017), there are 82.2% reported single mothers in the US alone. With the ever increasing number of fathers being absent in a child’s life, it brings the question of how much of an impact having an absent biological father has on a child. In the article written by (East, 2007), father absence is referred to as: “a father simply not being present in one's life, a father being deceased, or a father being lost through family and or social circumstances.” With father absences …show more content…
A journal article by (Jones, 2006) states: “the father–daughter relationship plays a significant role in eating disorder development and maintenance…bulimic women tend to report a rejecting, withdrawn or passive father. Both clinical and non-clinical bulimic women have been found to describe their relationships with their father as characterized by insufficient care and high overprotection and fathers have been described as showing less affection and more control towards their bulimic daughter than towards their siblings.” The study proved that girls who had an absent or overbearing father tended to lean toward bulimia. It showed that girls who suffered from emotional deprivation tended to drive for thinness. Abandonment, defectiveness/shame, and vulnerability to harm were found to mediate the influence of aspects of paternal rearing behaviors on eating disorder psychopathology according to (Jones, …show more content…
This study is geared toward young men whose fathers abandoned them. The study talks about the role of the father during a stage called separation-individuation. According to (Eliezer, 2012), in this stage the father, “encourages the child to tolerate situations of frustration and demonstrates the ability to handle pressures without being overwhelmed by them (Target and Fonagy 2002).” Within this time a young man is able to learn how to deal with stress and anxieties. The child also draws confidence and security from the father. With the lack of a father to teach a child how to deal with certain situations, the child is more prone to getting anxiety, which can be an indication of object loss such as a father, or depression. (Eliezer, 2012) states in his study, “Each stage of separation–individuation confronts the baby with either a developmental risk or an achievement. An inner sense of loss of the beloved object breeds feelings of helplessness, sadness and depression, even when separation is only symbolic. Young adults may feel increasing pressures that might cause crises and evoke anxiety and