Randolph Walters

Daddy's Girl:a Psychological Examination of the Father-daughter Bond Randolph Walters

This book will give insight into the father-daughter relationship. The father-daughter dyad, first alluded to in Freud's developmental theory, had received little specific attention in the psychoanalytic and research literature. Yet, according to object relations theory, children develop attachments to their fathers during their first years of life. A careful review of the literature suggests that father-daughter attachment is significant in the development of a daughter?s object relations. The study examined the theoretical and empirical literature on attachment, object relations, and the father-daughter attachment. It hypothesized that the quality of the father-daughter attachment is positively associated with the strength of a daughter?s object relations. It was expected that stronger father-daughter attachment would be associated with more positive daughter's self and object representations. Results support previous research that suggests some relationship between a daughter?s attachment to her father and her object relational dynamics. This book discussed implications of these results for psychotherapy with women, and the clinical assessment of attachment and object relations