Abstract:
This study investigated the association between Iranian university students' perception of their
fathers and their object-relation and defense mechanism. Participants were 438 students between 18-22 yearsfrom Allameh Tabatabae University, who agreed to fill the Fatherhood Scale out (Dick, 2004), Bell objectrelation inventory and defense mechanism style, and defense style questionnaire (DSQ-40). Using stepwiseregression indicated that positive Parental Engagement significantly would be able to predict alienation (ALN)and mature and immature defense mechanisms. Positive paternal engagement & negative paternal engagementsignificantly predict alienation (ALN) and mature defense mechanism. Furthermore, negative paternalengagement can predict insecure attachment (IA) and egocentrism (ECG). The good provider role subscale offathering scale can predict social incompetence (SI) of object relation factors and neurotic defense mechanism.
This subscale with negative paternal engagement can predict Social incompetence (SI). As a result, current studyemphasize on the critical role of fathering in forming object relation and defense mechanism duringdevelopment. In this processing, fathering as a facilitator lead to appropriate representation of reality in childmental structure. So, he can practice proper object relations and mature defense mechanism.
Machine summary:
"The good provider role subscale of fathering scale can predict social incompetence (SI) of object relation factors and neurotic defense mechanism.
According to what was described and the importance of investigating the first parent-child interactions and given the fact that a healthy relationship requires the use of more mature defense mechanisms to ensure both the quality and quantity of the relationship, parental method can play a significant role in the formation of object relations process and any problem in its process can create serious problems in the course of development (Malden, Wiley-Blackwell Pleck, & Hofferth, 2008).
Consequently, the present research will investigate the parental role in the formation of object relations and defense mechanisms considering the child's primary relationship with the surrounding world.
As mentioned in the research literature, many theorists have insisted that the absence of father at early ages and during the oedipal stage will affect the formation and evolution of feelings about ego, object relations world, internal communication patterns (Lee, 2004) and consequently in later relationships will influence the dominant communication patterns of child with outside world (Liebman & Abell, 2000).
67 The results of demographic data in the present study show that about 80% of the mothers of the subjects in the sample group are housewives with diploma or lower education degree which can impress the individuals' perception process because as Lacan states the mother's job or education can also play the role of father and contribute to breaking the symbiotic space between mother and child (Plantin, Olukoya &Ny, 2011)."