THE AUTHORITARIAN FATHER: THE PREDICTIVE ROLE OF CONFLICT RESOLUTION STYLES AND THE ATTACHMENT DIMENSION

Abstract

The authoritarian parenting style with its negative connotation has many adverse effects on various aspects of children's development, so the aim of this paper will be to identify potential predictors of the authoritarian parenting style of fathers. The concept of attachment and conflict resolution styles used by fathers are part of the model used in this paper which, together with the age of the fathers, represent important predictors of a father's authoritarian parenting style. A convenience sample included 101 fathers and their children from the territory of Northern Kosovo. The instruments used in the research are The Experience in Close Relationship Scale (Hanak and Dimitrijević, 2013; Brennan, Clark & Shaver, 1998), Conflict Management Styles Assessment (Adkins, 2006,) and the Parental Authority Questionnaire (Buri, 1991). The results partially proved the hypothesis, and were discussed in the context of attachment theory and previous empirical research that provides a strong framework of reference for understanding the results of this research.