<b>Being father: a figure of identity</b> - doi: 10.4025/cienccuidsaude.v11i5.17083

Abstract

The object of this study was to rethink the masculine identity forward to fatherhood, in an attempt to seek a new definition to be a man, taking into account experiences attached to the female condition. The population of this qualitative study was 25 subjects, 10 parents and 15 nurses. Data were collected through open interviews, based on preliminary script, and analyzed by the researcher to the Theory of Social Identity. We tried to work the immediate knowledge of parents, mediated knowledge of professionals, based on these representations about the behavior of parents and abstract knowledge of the researcher, based on specialized literature and profissional experience. The results of the analysis of human behavior have shown that an individual in the pursuit of understanding the experience of fatherhood, is rethinking its role, especially their attitudes and emotions, conquering space in the construction of their identity. On the other hand, the professionals speeches rescued social stereotypes about the behavior of those men forward to fatherhood that disqualify them. The reassessment of our conceptions is the way to changes in our practice in the health field that will contribute in the process of identity construction on the new man.