Towards a formulation of the fatherhood constellation: Representing absence

ABSTRACT In contrast with Daniel Stern’s extensive work on the motherhood constellation, very little has been written about the fatherhood constellation. In an effort to explore emergent fatherhood and the idea of the fatherhood constellation, psychoanalytic research interviews were conducted with white, middle-class South African fathers of infants. The findings highlight two central themes which offer a way to begin thinking about the nature of the fatherhood constellation. Firstly, the fatherhood constellation is constituted by the father’s wish to protect and support the mother and baby. Secondly, the fatherhood constellation is characterized by what fatherhood is not, as opposed to what it is to be a father. Unlike the mother, the father does not get pregnant, he does not give birth and he cannot breastfeed, all defining features of motherhood. This paper subsequently suggests that the representation of absence may be a key step to the father’s presence in his own mind.