Le père est-il légal de la mère? Considérations sur l'attachement père-enfant

Abstract

In the present article, the authors question the place of the father as an attachment figure. First, they examine his role according to an evolutionary perspective, to determine how he can intervene in his child's development. A review of the literature reveals that fathers are as capable as mothers in taking care of their children. Nevertheless, the children preferentially turn to their mothers when distressed. The authors conclude that research methods, which are appropriate to the study of fathers, enable a better understanding of their qualities as attachment figures. Indeed, they tend to show that fathers play an essential role in their children's openness to the world.