Psychological Effects Of Growing Up Without A Father

After doing extensive research, I have discovered that the effects of absent fathers in children lives is detrimental. The approach that was taken was not a sociological one, but a psychological one. A sociological perspective would dig deeper into the effects of the general population. It would estimate the damage done and put it in terms to better understand why a father might be absent. The articles that were found focused more on the individual children and how they react. A sociological perspective would aim more towards the reasoning. For example, a father might have left due to a prison sentence, bad relations with the Childs mother, addictions, divorce and many more reasons. These reasons are the sociological perspective of father absence. 

According to psychology, there are numerous psychological effects of an absent father. Besides the sociological perspective, the psychological perspective has a different focus. It focus's on how the child reacts. The child may suffer and has a greater chance of suffering from a father not being in their lives, especially boys. These effects may be injurious and long lasting. Some suffer for the rest of their lives.

There has been research done by psychologist that studies these effects. Children are more likely to be aggressive, be depressed, have low self-esteem, do poorly in school, more likely to use drugs and more likely to end up incarcerated or commit suicide. The research shows numerous negative effects on the children. According to Sara McLanahan in The Causal Effects Of Father Absence, " studies that compare parental death and divorce often find that even if both have significant effects on well-being, the estimates of the effect of divorce are larger than those of parental death." An absent father has a huge effect on a Childs life weather or not people realize it. 

Research still continues to answer the questions of the importance of a father. "Why can't we grow up without a father and not have any problems?" "Where can these kids find the strength and the help to push through?" The perspective of the children are being represented. The children are the ones suffering and the ones who become psychologically damaged. 

By having an absent father, it has taught me a lot. Life is not fair and it will never be. We have to work with what we got and make the best of it. If we dwell on the pastt and all the negative things going on in our lives, then we will get nowhere. There is no guarantees in life. Who knows if we will achieve greatness or if we will even find love. All we really know and all we really have is ourselves. We have to believe in ourselves and believe we can do anything we put our mind to.