ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the purposeful design of a research study consisting of an extensive open-ended interview with a sample of 40 diverse fathers discussing their perceptions of the effects of fathering on their development and life course. The 40 fathers who participated in the interviews were recruited through newspapers in a suburban area in the eastern United States. The purpose of the sample was to include a diverse group of men that encompassed a wide range of fathering contexts. The chapter presents a reconceptualization of father involvement at the National Council on Family Relations (NCFR) in 1994 and subsequently published the paper on generative fathering. It examines men's perceptions of the effects of fathering on both everyday life and personal development, while highlighting theoretically important issues and the interface between the two approaches. Analyses and integration with existing theories and empirical findings are offered to help advance an understanding of the relations between involved fathering and men's adult development.
