According to research, the relationship a daughter has with her father can influence the relationships she has with men romantically as an adult. A child looks to the relationship between a mother and father figure to model how they should conduct their adult relationships and the treatment they accept.A healthy relationship between a father and daughter can contribute toward higher self-esteem, healthier adult relationships, better school performance, and more openness to trying new things.
Unhealthy father-daughter relationships can have just as detrimental an impact on the psychological development of a child as a healthy relationship can have a positive impact. This is why such relationships are so important. When a girl experiences conflict with her father during the formative years, has attachment injuries, is pushed too hard, or has a father that is too demanding of her, it can cause her to doubt her abilities and have lower self-esteem. She may not take risks involved in going for what she wants in life because she doubts either her ability to receive it or her worthiness.
A daughter who has a muddied perception of her father may also carry this with her into adulthood in the form of who she chooses to date and the treatment that she is willing to accept as love. It can have a detrimental impact on the types of people she chooses to date and her behavior surrounding marriage.
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