Chapter 1 Setting the Scene

Fatherhood and fathering have recently become interesting again for psycho-analysts after a long period of preoccupation with mothers and mothering. Our overall aim in this book is to convey how fathers are important in the internal and external world of children. They always exist in the internal world just as the centrality in the internal world of the Oedipus complex is one of the facts of life. We want to consider ordinary fathers, good or bad, and ordinary developmental and psycho-pathological issues. We are aware that we have omitted two particular current social concerns: assisted parenting and gay/lesbian parents. Both merit in-depth consideration and, after considerable thought and discussion, we have decided to include them in a subsequent publication.

This book develops two strands: Mainly Theoretical, followed by Mainly Clinical, with two introductions by Judith Trowell andAlicia Etchegoyen. Fakhry Davids explores some of the changes in the internal world of the man on becoming a father. Mary Target and Peter Fonagy look at the impact of fathers in child development, Maureen Marks writes on the impact of severe maternal mental illness on the baby and the father, and Ronald Britton considers the impact on our understanding of fathers from ancient and modern father/ daughter relationships. Abraham Brafman then contributes some thoughts on the role and impact of grandfathers for the child and family.

In the second section, Mainly Clinical, Ricky Emanuel explores what can be understood and learnt about fathers from observation. Clifford Yorke considers child development and the implications of a disability in a child or parent. Denis Flynn explores some of the complex issues that arise when foster or adoptive parents raise children. Suzanne Blundell presents an account of the impact on boys of their father being intermittently or permanently absent within the context of domestic violence. Biddy Youell explores the impact on a mother of her own abse