Communication Gap in Impression Management by Fathers on Their Adolescent Sons

Objectives: Fatherlessness, which refers to the distant relationship between fathers and their children, is a prevalent issue in modern society. Fathers focus more on their roles outside the home to fulfill their responsibilities. Thus fathers have limited time to interact with their children compared to mothers. In addition, as the heads of the family, fathers must maintain their figures, especially with their adolescent sons who are starting to get to know the wider environment.

This study aims to investigate how fathers use impression management in their interactions with their adolescent sons.

Study design: A study with a subjective interpretation approach was carried out to understand in depth how impression management by fathers is a form of communication that can build interpersonal relationships with their adolescent sons.

Place and Duration of Study: This study was carried out in Indonesia, from December 2022 to June 2023.

Methodology: In-depth interviews were conducted with 7 pairs of fathers (aged 38 to 50 years) and sons (aged 12 to 15 years) who each attended private schools in 7 major cities in Indonesia.

Results: Fathers do impression management when interacting with their adolescent sons to maintain their self-image. Fathers manage self-impression as a figure that must be respected through creating a respected image, having similar interests in gender and role models. The implication is that fathers when communicating with their adolescent sons, tend to maintain a quiet condition and create an atmosphere where their adolescent sons should have the same attitude as them. This causes discomfort for their adolescent sons so they prefer to communicate with other people rather than with their fathers.

Conclusion: Impression management becomes a communication gap, which in turn creates a distance in father-son relationships.