How Your Relationship With Your Father May Affect Interactions With Men
Paternal ties cause women to misinterpret male attention
Father’s Day is just around the corner and for many women, it will be a time to celebrate the love they share with their dads and all of the hard work these paternal figures have put into their lives. But for women with absentee fathers, or those who have strained relationships with their fathers, this may be a day of ambivalence or even sorrow.
It may also be a day for these women to reflect on how their relationships with their fathers, or lack thereof, may have influenced their subsequent relationships with men — for better or for worse.
A study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology looked at just how paternal relationships influence women when interacting with men in potentially romantic situations, and researchers found that women who have negative experiences with their fathers often view greater mating intent from men than what actually exists.
“This research underscores an important psychological change — perceiving greater sexual interest among men — that could increase a woman’s likelihood of engaging in unrestricted or risky sexual behavior in response to growing up with a disengaged father,” said researcher Danielle J…
