-
Relationship Between Step-fathering And Personality Development
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 4]
Page 1 of 4
-
-
-
CHAPTER ONE
1.0Introduction
1.1 Background to the Study
Scholars
such as Nicholas (1995) and Adams (2000), have theorized on individual
behaviour, socialization process, fathering process and their influence
on adolescents. For instance, when children watch the behaviour of a
model, they quickly imitate both the specific responses and generalized
response patterns of the model, especially as fathers are viewed as
models by their children. Similarly, the child may face the trauma of
neglect when the father who is supposed to be supportive and involved is
not around to give appropriate model, care, comfort and supervision to
the child.
The sociological theory of symbolic interaction posits
that children and infants are ignorant of rules and role of the society
when they are born, and to turn them to socially responsible being, they
must acquire new roles by their interaction with significant others,
especially their fathers, mothers and siblings. This study therefore,
will focus on the relationship between step-fathering and personality
development among adolescent in schools.
As a primary socializing
agent the family’s impact on man is overwhelming and total. This is why
it was asserted by Onyejiaku (1991) that no child is born into the word
with the knowledge of right and wrong rather it is when he/she
socializes with societal norms and values that he/she begins to relate
with people around him/her effectively. The responsibility of raising up
a child to become socially and psychologically well adjusted adult is
mainly that of the parents especially, the father (Martins, 1983).
According
to Lamb (1997), a father is a man who begets a child a man parent, the
founder of a family or a race, one who exercises parental care over
another (whether his biological children or his step-children), a
guardian and protector within the family role sharing. Among parents
exists the father is a expected to discipline the child and ensure he is
brought up in a proper way. The father is the most significant figure
in the family the head of the household in all important matters.
Pleck
(1987) states that step-fathering is a system or pattern of fathering
in which a man fathers a child/children who do not biologically belong
to him. Step-fathering or step-mothering is a usual phenomenon in both
the developed and the developing countries of the world.
According to
Bumpass, et al (1990), approximately one-half of all marriages are a
remarriage for at least one percent of all children in the United States
lived with the mother and a step-father. As the U.S. Bureau of the
Census (1995) put it, an estimated one third of U.S.A. children live in a
step family house hold before they reach adulthood. Although the
remarriage rates are lower, simile, prevalence rates have been reported
in Canada and Europe. The large number of parents and children who live
in a step families has prompted researches to study how well family
members adjust to living in a step family especially where the man is
not the biological father of the child he is living with.
As Lewis
(1996) puts it, man’s fathering style is influenced by his enthusiasm
for being a father, his occupation, his temperament the way the family
members relate to each other. His own father’s behaviour, the images of
how to be a father projected by the mass media and the number of
children he has. Lewis went further to states that no single style of
fathering or mothering is right for every one. The father who uses his
style, educates the child socially, emotionally and intellectually.
Chaton
(1995) sees a father as a main stabilizing influence on his children
who may face the out side world with enough confidence.
However, Pleck (1987) identified four typologies of step fatherhood to include:
Step-father
as distant bread winner, step father as sex role model and ‘new’ step
father who nurturs and is interested in is young children/step children
as well as engaged in a paid job.
CHAPTER ONE -- [Total Page(s) 4]
Page 1 of 4
-
-
ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This study attempted to investigate the relationship between step-fathering and personality development among SS II students in secondary schools in Mainland Local Government Area of Lagos State.Relevant literature review was carried out under sub-headings.The descriptive research survey was used to assess the opinions of the selected respondents using the questionnaire and the sampling technique.One hundred and twenty (120) respondents were selected and used as samples to represent the populati ... Continue reading---
