When Is the Father Really There?

Abstract

The article reconceptualizes father presence as the psychological presence of the father in the child. The article explicates the components of father presence as comprised of the following: (a) an inner sense of father in the child that orients him or her to the father; (b) the child's relationship with the personal father; (c) other family influences on father presence in the child; and (d) cultural and religious beliefs about the father found in the larger societal context, which are transmitted to the child in the family and other primary groups. The article postulates a conceptual model of father presence that consists of concentric spheres of influence that affect the development of the psychological presence of the father and also discusses the importance of studying father presence from the child's perspective.