Welcome

Alain Braconnier

Daughters and Their Fathers Publication date : February 22, 2007

All daughters have secrets and all fathers have their mysteries, says Alain Braconnier. Following the success of Mères et fils, his earlier book on mothers and sons, Braconnier continues his exploration of child-parent relations. He now decodes the often mute but equally fascinating relationship between daughters and their fathers. Through numerous examples he shows that this relationship — whether or not it is a happy one — always leaves a deep imprint. Today more than ever before in the past, fathers play a major role in their daughters’ construction and development.
Negatively or positively, the ties that bind a young woman to her father will shape her identity for the rest of her days and influence her life choices, both personal and professional. These ties are complex. What paternal qualities does a young girl need in order to fulfil herself? What sort of ties with her father can hinder her development as a woman? For fathers and daughters to find a common ground and to understand each other a lifetime is sometimes needed. Braconnier aims to help fathers and daughters overcome their secrets and mysteries so they can learn to listen to each other and finally get to know each other.

Aimed at a wide readership and illustrated with numerous examples, this highly accessible book explores an aspect of family relations that has been relatively neglected in the past. It carries a positive message and shows how to improve the dialogue between fathers and daughters.

A physician, psychologist and psychoanalyst, Alain Braconnier teaches at the University of Paris-V and heads the Centre Philippe-Paumelle, in Paris. He is the author of Mères et Fils, Le sexe des émotions and Petit ou grand anxieux?