African American Adolescent Male Perspectives of Fatherhood: A Qualitative Analysis

Abstract

This project examines African American adolescent males’ perception of fatherhood by exploring the participants definition, assessing how personal experiences shape this definition and defining the external influencing factors and assess the influence of African American adult males who work with them in an employment or volunteer setting. The study occurred in two phases, the first was in-depth interviews with African American adult males and the second phase was focus groups of African American adolescent males. The definitions of fatherhood and masculinity were different among the study population. The adult males focused on traditional fatherhood and male roles using language that described actions and physical and personal attributes, while the adolescent males found their definitions of fatherhood and masculinity to be nearly the same, as they used traditional language to describe the role but contemporary language for their needs. Black masculinity, expectations of fathers and father figures, and influences were found to be the dominant themes that emerged in their perspectives. These findings indicate: the definitions provided were demanding and one could easily falter; all participants showed awe in the role; African American adolescents can understand and communicate their needs; and this research counters the narrative and negative imagery of Black fathers.