Abstract
Both adolescence and parenthood are developmental phases that induce regression and psychosocial vulnerability as part of the preparation for progressive identity consolidation. What happens when these phases converge in the lives of young men? In this article, the author employs a psychodynamic conceptual framework to explicate the unique developmental dilemmas of adolescent fatherhood. Resulting formulations are intended to assist clinicians in designing interventions that minimize the regressive perils and maximize the progressive potentials of this untimely convergence of life transitions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abelin, E. (1980). Triangulation, the role of the father, and the origins of core gender identity. In R. F. Lax, S. Bach, & J. A. Burland (Eds.),Rapprochement: The critical subphase of separation-individuation. New York: Jason Aronson.
Alan Guttmacher Institute. (1981).Teenage pregnancy: The problem that hasn't gone away. New York: Author.
Applegate, J. S. (1987). Beyond the dyad: Including the father in separation-individuation.Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 4, 92–105.
Benedek, T. (1959). Parenthood as a developmental phase.Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 7, 389–417.
Benedek, T. (1970). Fatherhood and providing. In E. J. Anthony & T. Benedek (Eds.),Parenthood: Its psychology and psychopathology (pp. 167–183). Boston: Little, Brown.
Blos, P. (1967). The second individuation process of adolescence.The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 22, 162–186.
Blos, P. (1979).The adolescent passage. New York: International Universities Press.
Brunswick, R. M. (1940). The preoedipal phase of the libido development.Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 9, 293–319.
Cath, S. H., Gurwitt, A. R., & Ross, J. M. (Eds.) (1982).Father and child: Developmental and clinical perspectives. Boston: Little, Brown.
Caughlan, J. (1960). Psychic hazards of unwed paternity.Social Work, 5, 29–35.
deLissovoy, V. (1973). Child care by adolescent parents.Children Today, 4, 22–25.
Diamond, M. J. (1986). Becoming a father: A psychoanalytic perspective on the forgotten parent. In R. M. Friedman & Leila Lerner (Eds.),Toward a new psychology of men: Psychoanalytic and social perspectives. New York: Guilford Press.
Earls, F., & Siegel, B. (1980). Precocious fathers.American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 50, 469–480.
Einzig, J. E. (1980). The child within: A studyof expectant fatherhood.Smith College Studies in Social Work, 50, 117–164.
Erikson, E. (1950).Childhood and society. New York: W. W. Norton.
Freud, S. (1959). Analysis of a phobia in a five-year-old boy.Collected Papers (Vol. 3). New York: Basic Books (Original work published 1909).
Gerzi, S., & Berman, E. (1981). Emotional reactions of expectant fathers to their wives' first pregnancy.British Journal of Medical Psychology, 54, 259–265.
Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry. (1986).Crisis of adolescence. Teenage pregnancy: Impact on adolescent development. New York: Brunner/Mazel.
Gurwitt, A. R. (1976). Aspects of prospective fatherhood.Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 31, 237–271.
Hartman, A., & Nicolav, R. (1966). Sexually deviant behavior in expectant fathers.Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 71, 232–234.
Hendricks, L. E. (1983). Suggestions for reaching unmarried black adolescent fathers.Child Welfare, 62, 141–146.
Herzog, J. M. (1982). Patterns of expectant fatherhood: A study of the fathers of a group of premature infants. In S. Cath, A. Gurwitt, & J. M. Ross (Eds.),Father and Child: Developmental and clinical perspectives (pp. 301–314). Boston: Little, Brown.
Jacobson, E. (1950). Development of the wish for a child in boys. Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 5, 139–152.
Kahn, J. S., & Bolton, F. G., Jr. (1986). Clinical issues in adolescent fatherhood. In A. B. Elster & M. E. Lamb (Eds.),Adolescent fatherhood (pp. 141–153), Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Klinman, D. G., Sander, J. H., Rosen, J. L., & Longo, K. R. (1986). The teen father collaboration: A demonstration and research model. In A. B. Elster & M. E. Lamb (Eds.),Adolescent fatherhood (pp. 155–170). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Lamb, M. E. (1986).The father's role: Applied perspectives. New York: Wiley.
Lieberman, F. (1984). Singular and plural objects: Thoughts on object relations theory.Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 1, 153–167.
Lorenzi, M. E., Klerman, L. V., & Jakel, J. F. (1977). School-age parents: How permanent a relationship?Adolescence, 12, 13–22.
Mahler, M. S., Pine, F., & Bergman, A. (1975).The psychological birth of the human infant. New York: Basic Books.
Montemayor, R. (1986). Boys as fathers: Coping with the dilemmas of adolescence. In A. B. Elster & M. E. Lamb (Eds.),Adolescent Fatherhood (pp. 1–18). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Parens, H. (1975). Report on workshop: Parenthood as a developmental phase.Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 23, 154–165.
Pedersen, F. A. (Ed.). (1980).The father-infant relationship. Observational studies in the family setting. New York: Praeger.
Robinson, B. E., & Barret, R. L. (1986).The developing father. New York: Guildford.
Ross, J. M. (1975) The development of paternal identity: A critical review of the literature on nurturance and generativity in boys and men.Journal of the American Psychoanalytic Association, 23, 783–817.
Ross, J. M. (1979). Fathering: A review of some psychoanalytic contributions on paternity.International Journal of Psycho-Analysis, 60, 317–328.
Sheats, P. D. (Ed.) (1982). My heart leaps up.The poetical works of Wordsworth. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. (Original work published 1807).
Speers, R. W., & Morter, D. C. (1980). Overindividuation and underseparation in the pseudomature child. In R. F. Lax, S. Bach, & J. A. Burland (Eds.),Rapprochement: The critical subphase of separation-individuation (pp. 457–477). New York: Jason Aronson.
Werdinger, I. (1981). The use of a simulated father-son group to facilitate separation-individuation.Clinical Social Work Journal, 9, 282–292.
White, K. M., Speisman, J. C., Costos, D., & Smith, A. (1985).Relationship maturity: A conceptual and empirical approach. Paper presented at the Third Biennial Conference on Adolescence Research, Tucson, AZ.
Zayas, L. H. (1987). Psychodynamic and developmental aspects of expectant and new fatherhood: Clinical derivatives from the literature.Clinical Social Work Journal, 15, 8–21.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Applegate, J.S. Adolescent fatherhood: Developmental perils and potentials. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 5, 205–217 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00817538
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00817538