The challenges facing contemporary boys are complex, highlighting the importance of positive paternal influence for young men to achieve success. This study examines the father-son relationships of 10 prominent gifted men of achievement to identify factors influencing talent development. Through biographical analysis, 6 significant themes were identified: unconditional belief in son, strong work ethic, encouragement and guidance, maintaining high expectations and fostering determination, pride in son's accomplishments, and mutual admiration and respect. Implications for parents and educators of high-achieving gifted males are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BalcomD. A. (2002). Absent fathers: Effects on abandoned sons. In HunterA. E.FordenC. (Eds.), Readings in the psychology of gender (pp. 100–110). Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon
2.
Bernadett-ShapiroS.EhrensaftD.ShapiroJ. L. (1996). Father participation in childcare and the development of empathy in sons: An empirical study. Family Therapy, 23, 77–93
3.
BogdanR. C.BiklenS. K. (1998). Qualitative research for education: An introduction to theory and methods(3rd ed.).Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon
4.
BroderD. (2003, June 8). Running on the story of his life. Washington Post, p. A01
5.
CanadaG. (1998). Reaching up for manhood: Transforming the lives of boys in America. Boston, MA: Beacon Press
6.
CoffeyA.AtkinsonP. (1996). Making sense of qualitative data: Complementary research strategies. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
7.
CoxA. J. (2006). Boys of few words: Raising our sons to communicate and connect. New York, NY: Guilford Press
8.
ConnerB. (1985). Winning the gold. New York, NY: Warner Books
9.
DeKlyenM.SpeltzM. L.GreenbergM. T. (1998). Fathering and early onset conduct problems: Positive and negative parenting, father-son attachment, and the marital context. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 1 (1), 3–21
10.
EdwardsJ.AuchardJ. (2004). Four trials. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster
11.
FlouriE.BuchananA. (2003). What predicts fathers' involvement with their children? A prospective study of intact families. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 21, 81–98
12.
GoertzelV.GoertzelM.G. (1962). Cradles of eminence. Boston, MA: Little, Brown
13.
GrahamF. (1995). Rebel with a cause: Finally comfortable being Graham. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson
14.
GrayB. (2003). Ron Howard: From Mayberry to the moon … and beyond. Nashville, TN: Rutledge Hill Press
15.
GriswoldR. (1993). Fatherhood in America: A history. New York, NY: Basic Books
16.
GurianM. (1996). The wonder of boys: What parents, mentors, and educators can do to shape boys into exceptional men. New York, NY: Penguin Putnam
17.
HébertT. P. (1996). Portraits of resilience: The urban life experience of gifted Latino young men. Roeper Review, 19, 142–147
18.
HébertT. P. (2000a). Defining belief in self: Intelligent young men in an urban high school. Gifted Child Quarterly, 44, 91–114
19.
HébertT. P. (2000b). Gifted males pursuing careers in elementary education: Factors that influence a belief in self. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 24, 7–45
20.
HébertT. P. (2002). Gifted Black males in a predominantly White university: Portraits of achievement. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 26, 25–64
21.
HerbS.Willoughby-HerbS. (1998). A focus on fathers: The role of males in children's literacy development. Knowledge Quest, 26 (4), 44–49
22.
HrabowskiF. A.IIIMatonK. I.GreifG. L. (1998). Beating the odds: Raising academically successful African American males. New York, NY: Oxford University Press
23.
HubermanA. M.MilesM. B. (1994). Data management and analysis methods. In DenzinN. K.LincolnY. S. (Eds.), The handbook of qualitative research (pp. 428–444). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
24.
KaoC.HébertT. P. (2006). Gifted Asian American adolescent males: Portraits of cultural dilemmas. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 30, 88–117
25.
LyonsN.LyonsT. (2002). The quotable dad. Guilford, CT: Lyons Press
26.
KerrB. A.CohnS. J. (2001). Smart boys: Talent, manhood, and the search for meaning. Scottsdale, AZ: Great Potential Press
27.
KindlonD.ThompsonM. (1999). Raising Cain: Protecting the emotional life of boys. New York, NY: Ballantine Books
28.
LeCompteM. D. (2000). Analyzing qualitative data. Theory Into Practice, 39, 146–154
29.
LewisC.MarxJ. (1990). Inside track: My professional life in amateur track and field. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster
30.
MackeyW. C.MackeyB. (2003). The presence of fathers in attenuating young male violence: Dad as a social palliative. Marriage and Family Review, 35, 63–75
31.
MarsiglioW.AmatoP.DayR.LambM. (2000). Scholarship on fatherhood in the 1990s and beyond. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62, 1173–1191
32.
MarsiglioW.PleckJ. (2005). Fatherhood and masculinities. In KimmelM. S.HearnJ.ConnellR. W. (Eds.), Handbook of studies on men and masculinities (pp. 249–269). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
33.
McGreevyA. (1990). Darwin and teacher: An analysis of the mentorship between Charles Darwin and Professor John Henslow. Gifted Child Quarterly, 34, 5–9
34.
McGreevyA. (1992). All in the golden afternoon: The early life of Charles L. Dodgson (Lewis Carroll). Gifted Child Quarterly, 36, 6–10
35.
MoellerK. (2001). Are close relationships in adolescence linked with partner relationship in midlife? A longitudinal, prospective study. International Journal of Behavior Development, 25, 69–77
36.
MormanM. T.FloydK. (2006). Good fathering: Father and son perceptions of what it means to be a good father. Fathering, 4, 113–136
37.
MussenP. H.YoungH. B.GaddiniR.MoranteL. (1963). The influence of father-son relationships on adolescent personality and attitudes. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 4, 3–16
38.
NeuT. W.WeinfeldR. (2007). Helping boys succeed in school. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press
39.
O'NeillP.RocksB. (2003). Me and my dad: A baseball memoir. New York, NY: William Morrow
40.
OppenheimerJ. (2002). Seinfeld: The making of an American icon. New York, NY: HarperCollins
41.
PattonM. Q. (2002). Qualitative education and research methods(3rd ed.).Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage
42.
PaulsonS. E. (1994). Parenting style and parental involvement: Relations with adolescent achievement. Midwestern Educational Researcher, 7, 6–11
43.
PollackW. (1998). Real boys: Rescuing our sons from the myths of boyhood. New York, NY: Henry Holt
44.
RenzulliJ. S. (1978). What makes giftedness? Re-examining a definition. Phi Delta Kappan, 60, 180–184
45.
RodneyH.MupierR. (1999). Behavioral differences between African American male adolescents with biological fathers and those without biological fathers at home. Journal of Black Studies, 30, 45–61
46.
RussertT. (2004). Big Russ & me: Father and son—lessons of life. New York, NY: Miramax Books
47.
ShapiroM. (2000). Carlos Santana: Back on top. New York, NY: St. Martin's Press
48.
SimontonD. K. (1999). Significant samples: The psychological study of eminent individuals. Psychological Methods, 4, 425–451
49.
SommersC. H. (2000a, May). The war against boys. Atlantic Monthly, 285 (5), 59–74
50.
SommersC. H. (2000b). The war against boys: How misguided feminism is harming our young men. New York: Simon & Schuster
51.
TracyK. (1998). Jerry Seinfeld: The entire domain. Secaucus, NJ: Birch Lane Press
52.
TyreP. (2006, January). The trouble with boys. Newsweek, 147 (5), 44–52
53.
VenezianoR. A. (2003). The importance of paternal warmth. Cross-Cultural Research, 37, 265–281
54.
WattsJ. C.Jr.WinstonC. (2002). What color is a conservative? My life and my politics. New York, NY: HarperCollins
55.
WilcoveJ. (1998). Perceptions of masculinity, femininity, and androgyny among a select cohort of gifted adolescent males. Journal for the Education of the Gifted, 21, 288–309
