Abstract
Using a narrative and identity theory approach, in-depth interviews were conducted with 38 men. They were asked to describe a critical incident in order to elicit the important factors that males describe when talking about their relationships with their fathers. The men were mostly blue collar or self-employed, with a mean age of 48 years. Six of the 38 men described poor relationships with their fathers, while 3 men described a relationship with a “super dad”. A constant comparative method was used to analyze the interview data. Results indicated seven emergent themes: personality mesh, relationship changing health experiences, reframing memories, son's changing expectations for fathers across cohorts, relationship outcomes, symbols of care, and identity. The discussion focuses on the development of unanswered questions that arose from the study that require further empirical exploration.
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