What Keeps a Father from Having Good Fatherly Personality in the Family? A Quantitative Study of Muslim Fathers

Abstract

Every father aspires to be a good and exemplary personality for his family. A good fatherly personality encompasses positive attributes such as being loving, responsible, approachable, and concerned. However, at times, this dream may not be realized in real life because of the obstacles that stand in the way. An undesirable fatherly personality such as being irresponsible, irritable, child beater, and child abuser eventually emerges. Therefore, this study aims to identify the factors which cause fathers to lose good fatherly personality. A survey research design is employed for this study. A total of 60 respondent fathers were selected through stratified random sampling at the Malaysian Board of Population and Family Development (LPPKN). Results reveal that the challenges faced by fathers to realize good fatherly personality in family life can be categorized into internal and external factors. Among the inner factors are the lack of self-confidence, religious practice, and knowledge on parenting skills. The external factors include problems with spouse or life partner, peers, career, and economic capability. These factors should be considered in motivating fathers to develop a good personality for a happy family.