Adolescents' perceptions of fathering factors that influence identity development

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to discover how adolescents perceive the influence of their fathers on their identity development. This study explored the lived experiences of adolescents and the interactions with the father figures in their lives. The study consisted of 16 participants from a North Texas high school. All participants contributed to the study through interviews, self-stories, and age lines. The following question guided the research: What perceptions do adolescents have regarding their fathers' influence during identity development? Qualitative methods were used to analyze the data and discover themes. The descriptions of interactions were used to determine what fathering factors served to help in developing a positive identity and those elements of fathering that hindered identity development as perceived by the adolescent and found by analysis of emerging themes and patterns from the collected data. The major themes discovered in this research were: Communication, Guidance, Availability and Accessibility, Supervision of Schoolwork, Beliefs, and Discipline. Conclusions of the study support the findings of the current literature and demonstrate that adolescents themselves respect their fathers' guidance during identity development.