Intergenerational Transmission of Fathering Among Crime-Involved Urban African American and Latino Young Men

Using qualitative life history interviews, the study examines the intergenerational transmission of fathering behaviors by focusing on how a sample of 115 crime-involved young fathers described the influence and characteristics of their biological father on their upbringing. We utilize concepts from Bowen’s intergenerational family systems theory to examine respondents’ involvement with their child(ren) as compared to the fathering provided by first generation fathers. We found limited support for the modeling hypothesis; however, there were numerous examples of negative modeling and strong support for the compensation hypothesis. Young fathers in the sample report attitudes and behaviors consistent with striving to fulfill their fathering role in ways that are superior to the fathering they experienced themselves. From a policy perspective, it appears that even with current efforts to strengthen fathering, men from disadvantaged backgrounds, particularly inner-city fathers living in poverty, face constraints on fathering across multiple generations.