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‘Just an Active Boy’: Intersecting Discourses of ADHD, Masculinity and Father Identities

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The Discourse of ADHD

Part of the book series: The Language of Mental Health ((TLMH))

Abstract

This chapter turns to the experience of fathers who appear far less frequently within parenting literature and are marginalised by much of the literature relating to ADHD. Davies examines how fathers are positioned differently within the discourses of parenting and ADHD and how they represent themselves as good fathers in a supportive role. The theme of gendering continues through this chapter in the way that fathers construct their own identities and their sons’ identities in relation to meanings of ADHD that emphasise particular forms of masculinity. The discussions in this chapter present a novel analysis of a father’s point of view that is rarely acknowledged in ADHD discourse.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Independent Academic Consultant, Derbyshire, UK

    Dr. Mary Horton-Salway

  2. Independent Academic Consultant, Hertfordshire, UK

    Dr. Alison Davies

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  1. Dr. Mary Horton-Salway
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  2. Dr. Alison Davies
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Correspondence to Mary Horton-Salway .

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Horton-Salway, M., Davies, A. (2018). ‘Just an Active Boy’: Intersecting Discourses of ADHD, Masculinity and Father Identities. In: The Discourse of ADHD. The Language of Mental Health. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-76026-1_5

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