Washington ( CNN ) -- Mitt Romney worshiped his father . Barack Obama barely knew his . In the nature-versus-nurture debate , psychologists say fathers play an important role in the men their sons become . And the two presidential candidates ' relationships with their fathers offer insight into the men they are today . `` It 's called the cloth of individuality , '' said Dr. Ditta M. Oliker , a clinical psychologist whose research has focused on the lasting effects of childhood in adulthood . Rather than an either/or , she said , psychologists now recognize the cloth that results from the interweaving of a person 's DNA and experience dictates both personality and character . In President Obama 's and Romney 's cases , fathers -- present or absent -- are a large part of that cloth . And in both cases , psychologists say their fathers ' presented different obstacles and opportunities . Obama was raised largely by his maternal grandparents and spent much of his childhood and adulthood decoding stories he heard about Barack Obama Sr. 's life . He writes in his book `` Dreams of My Father '' about piecing together newspaper clippings , photographs and his family 's stories in building a portrait of his father . `` My father became a prop in someone else 's narrative , '' Obama wrote , `` An attractive prop -- the alien figure with the heart of gold , the mysterious stranger who saves the town and wins the girl -- but a prop nonetheless . '' But depending on a child 's support system , Oliker does n't think an absent father is necessarily an obstacle . It leaves room for `` imagination , wishful thinking and dreams , '' she says . `` Depending on how the family talked about it will make a difference in how the person emerges from the myth of the father . '' Romney , on the other hand , followed closely in his father 's footsteps . Both were successful businessmen , then governors and finally presidential candidates ( although George Romney ended his run before the first Republican primary in 1968 ) . `` My dad is Mitt 's hero , '' G. Scott Romney , Mitt 's older brother , told New York Magazine . `` And , look , I think my brother 's an exceptional person . But Mitt has said he 's a shadow of his father . '' Romneys share looks but not traits , colleagues say . It could have been difficult for Romney to come out of his father 's shadow . `` I would raise the question whether Romney does n't struggle a bit with meeting the high expectations that were put on him because ... you are your father 's son , '' Oliker said . She says studies of sons of successful men show that their children often falter because they can not live up to the aura . Both doctors say how the candidates ' developed out of their relationships with their fathers can say a lot about the way they approach their candidacies , and in Obama 's case , his time in office . `` You see a path in [ Romney 's ] maturing over the years , in what some people might call 'flip-flopping ' could be explained as a maturing path into finding his own stance , '' Dr. Henry Cloud , a clinical psychologist and author of `` The One Life Solution : Reclaim Your Personal Life While Achieving Greater Professional Success , '' explained of Romney . `` Sometimes it takes a boy with that kind of power figure over him time to declare [ who he is ] . '' Cloud added that Romney lately seems to be more comfortable in his skin , perhaps a sign that he is assuming the alpha position once occupied by his father . Obama 's father 's absence , on the other hand , could be credited in part for his sky's-the-limit style that helped him win the 2008 election . `` He did n't grow up with the father over him , which is where the boy gets the sense of limits , '' Cloud said referring to the president as a visionary . `` He does n't govern [ the executive branch ] in thinking what they ca n't do , but rather what they can do . '' Romney , Obama : Why they have trouble connecting . But for both candidates , Oliker says , much of the credit for who the men are today rests on their own shoulders . `` Both men had to have strong character and had to have strong drive to reach what they have reached , in both cases perhaps in spite of their fathers , '' she said . For Romney , Cloud says it would be possible for a strong father figure to push his child down a lesser path . Instead , he says warmth present in the Romney home could have curbed negative impacts of his powerful father . For Obama , too , it was also the sum of the people around him that may have made up for his absent father . `` It takes a village , '' Oliker said . Regardless of their circumstances , both doctors agree that the mixture of the two men 's personalities and the circumstances that helped them develop into adulthood were the right fit . `` There were obviously things that went well with both of them . Both the hero father and the absent father , the message in this is that somebody did something right , '' Cloud said .
Obama 's , Romney 's relationships with their fathers shaped the men they became . Obama relied on photos , clippings and family stories to learn more about his father . `` My dad is Mitt 's hero , '' G. Scott Romney , Mitt 's older brother , said . For both candidates , `` the message is that somebody did something right ''