Date of Award

1-1-2009

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Organizational Unit

College of Arts Humanities and Social Sciences

First Advisor

Fran C. Dickson, Ph.D.

Keywords

Fatherhood, Gender, Interaction, Social construction, Son

Abstract

Although a significant amount of research has accounted for gender from a social constructionist perspective, research specifically examining the construction of masculinity is still a relatively new endeavor. Additionally, although gender is accounted for in various family communication theories, no theory specifically accounts for gender formation within the context of family interaction. The purpose of this study is to examine sons' narratives of their recollections of father-son interactions. Studying the father-son dyad in this way may help us to better understand how men constitute masculinity in particular familial relationships. Although the purpose was to examine the themes of father-son interactions, the themes of masculinity are also salient. Therefore, this study also illuminates common masculine themes as reported in men's stories of their fathers. Twenty-one men (age 18 or older) participated in semi-structured interviews that lasted 45-55 minutes. Qualitative data yielded 3 major themes and 26 sub-themes surrounding father-son interaction, as it pertains to men's ideas about masculinity. Discussion of 4 major findings and 3 secondary findings are presented. Finally, strengths and limitations of the study are explored and directions for future research are suggested.

Publication Statement

Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.

Rights Holder

Clyde J. Remmo

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Format

application/pdf

Language

en

File Size

155 p.

Discipline

Communication, Gender studies

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