In the absence of Father: Theoretical and clinical perspectives

In memory of Dr Roy Muir: psychoanalyst, child psychiatrist and family therapist

Abstract

This paper was written as a tribute to the work of Roy Muir, psychoanalyst, child psychiatrist and former Medical Director of Ashburn Clinic in Dunedin. It discusses Roy's theoretical and clinical contribution to his profession through a consideration of his thinking about the role of the 'father' in the family triad and discusses the psychotherapeutic challenges where, as a result of changing social patterns, 'fathers' are increasingly absent.