ABSTRACT
The neurobiological data is less clear than with mothering, which shows infants in development discriminate between “mother” and “non-mother” very quickly. Physiologically and socially, having a strong father bond appears to enhance a child’s well-being and success in many areas that appear to be distinct from the benefits gained from a strong mother bond. The father image consists of male aspects of the perceptual/conceptual system that contains the feelings (much like the mother symbol) along with it and provides the target domain for father symbols. The legacy of the father to his son can be found in the universally prevalent myth of the resurrecting son. The point is that, like with the mother, the human brain understands father imagery, and it comes with a lot of emotional significance; so much, in fact, that it can apparently affect the developmental physiology.
