應用視覺藝術表達探索成年初期男性感知的父親形象

Abstract

親子關係與情感一直是藝術創作與學術研究的重要主題，在華人父系社會中，進入成年期逐漸脫離原生家庭並尋求自我獨立的兒子，面對作為一家之主的父親時，常涉及親密與自主的議題。兒子對父親角色的感知不僅影響父子間的互動模式，也深刻塑造了彼此的情感經驗與關係動態。而面對父親形象如此口語難以說清的議題，研究指出藝術表達可作為合適的探索管道，視覺藝術可視覺化抽象的心理現象，有助於探索創作者的內在意義。本研究旨在透過視覺藝術表達，深入探索成年初期男性眼中的父親形象與父子關係的詮釋，以邀請三位成年初期男性參與者創作並半結構式的訪談進行研究，並運用現象詮釋學方法對訪談內容進行分析，以更深入了解研究參與者眼中父親形象所觸碰到的父子互動與感受以及父親對兒子的影響議題。結果顯示，首先，成年初期男性感知的父親角色既包含傳統的工具性功能，如養家者與規範者，也逐漸轉向更平等的合作者角色，對父親的感受上，除了社會對男子氣概的期待外，比較受父親自身個性影響，而非受既定工具性角色的個性驅使。其次，父子互動中展現支持與壓力的矛盾情感，隨兒子成長，父子間差異導致心理距離增加，但這種距離同時促進了兒子自主性的發展。此外，父親的情感與行動支持在兒子自信建立與父子關係和諧中扮演關鍵角色，母親作為父子情感連結的協調者亦具有重要作用。視覺藝術表達中，參與者以不同的象徵符號呈現父親共同的養家、保護與管制角色與各自父親的性情。參與者運用視覺上的相似與對比表現父子間的相似性與處境、心境上的差異。同時，作品揭示了父子間的依附－分離關係，既表現心理與情感的連結，也透過物理距離或畫面設計呈現分離的需求。當父親能提供穩定的安全感與支持時，兒子也能在親密與自主間取得平衡，達成自我成長與情感連結的和諧。

Parent-child relationships and emotions are central themes in art and research. In Chinese patriarchal society, sons entering early adulthood often face issues of intimacy and autonomy as they grow away from their families and interact with fathers, who are seen as the heads of their families. A son’s view of his father shapes how they interact and influences their emotional bond. Since it’s hard to describe a father’s image in words, research suggests that visual art is a useful way to explore these ideas. Art helps make abstract emotions and thoughts more visible and meaningful. This study aims to explore the interpretation of the father’s image and father-son relationships from the perspective of young adult males through visual art. The research invited three participants in early adulthood to create artworks and engage in semi-structured interviews, with the content analyzed using phenomenological hermeneutic methods to better understand their perceptions of the father figure, father-son interactions, and the father’s influence on their lives.The findings show that these young men see their fathers as both traditional figures, like providers and rule-setters, and as more equal partners as they grow older. Their views are shaped more by their fathers’ personalities than by traditional expectations of what a father should be. Father-son interactions are often a mix of support and pressure. As sons grow, they notice more differences between themselves and their fathers, which creates some emotional distance but also helps the sons become more independent. Fathers’ emotional and practical support is key to building the sons’ confidence and maintaining good relationships, with mothers often helping to mediate emotional bonds. Through their art, the participants used symbols, such as caregiving and protection, to represent shared fatherly roles and their fathers’ unique traits. They also used similarities and contrasts in their art to show both the ways they are like their fathers and the differences in their experiences and emotions. The art highlighted the balance between staying connected and becoming independent. When fathers provide emotional security and support, sons are better able to balance closeness and independence, allowing for personal growth and emotional harmony.