Article

A Study on the Relationships between Fathers\' Reactions to Children\'s Negative Emotions, and Children\'s Mental Representation of Father Figures

Author

송하나

Information

pp. 69~85 / 2008 Vol.15 No.2

Abstract

The primary purpose of this study was to examine the influence of fathers\' reactions to children\'s negative emotions on children\'s mental representations of fathers. Fifty-eight preschool/kindergarten children and their fathers who lives in Seoul and its vicinity participated in this study. A Korean version of the Coping with Children\'s Negative Emotions Scale(CCNES) was administered to the fathers, and children were interviewed using five stories in the Attachment Story Completion Task. Children\'s narratives were analyzed and six types of the representation of fathers were identified: figures for help, for protection, for love, for work, for family conflict, and for punishment. Fathers\' distress reactions were negatively, but problem-focused reactions and emotion-focused reactions were positively related to children\'s positive representation of fathers. The findings of this study were discussed in terms of authoritative parenting behaviors and gender role model in the socialization of emotion.

Keywords