Father-Child Relationships and Children's Problems

Some developmental antecedents of psychopathology1

“…If the mother draws the son to herself, the situation can develop mto the mother-son symbiosis. In many cases the son develops feelings of madequacy m comparison to others and later to members of^the opposite sex, for as Reichard & TJlman (1950) write, the mother "destroys the patient's selfconfidence by her constant nagging, disapproval, and complete nonacceptance of him or her as a person" Studies by Watson (1934), Sears (1961), Rosenthal, Finkelstem, Ni, andRobertson (1959 )> andRosenthal, Ni, Finkelsteln, andBerkwits (1962) mdicate that this type of cold-pumtive home atmosphere can generate feehngs of strong anxiety and self-aggression m children These intense feelmgs of madequacy and anxiety, coupled with the tendency of bemg dravvTi toward the mother m a symbiotic relationship, could brmg on disturbances of a psychotic nature m male children Lidz, et al (1965) found that other cold-punitive famihes producmg schizophrenic sons show a complete reversal of the previous situation. These families are ruled by fathers who tend to have a paranoid feelmg of grandiosity, although m reality they have normal abilities and achievements The mother and the children tend to share the father's feelmgs The sons develop the behef that they can never reach their father's high position m life because the father remams aloof from them and conveys the impression that his greatness is beyond their reach.…”

Transsexualism and Transvestitism (II)

“…Certainly paternal absence and disturbed father/child relationships occur in other disorders, and increasing attention is being paid to this (Stolz, 1954;Lynn, 1959;West 1959;Paitich, 1960;Archibald et al, 1962;Pollock, 1962;Rosenthal et al, 1962;Greer, 1964). The frequency seems to be considerably less, however, than in the transsexualist and homosexual material.…”