Adoption/identity

7 Pages 1720 Words

ldren grow and change into adolescents, they begin to
search for an identity by finding anchoring points with which to relate.

Unfortunately, adopted children do not have a biological example to which to
turn (Horner & Rosenberg, 1991), unless they had an open adoption in which
they were able to form a relationship with their biological families as well as
their adoptive ones. Also key to the development of trust is the ability to bond
with adoptive parents. The absence of a biological bond between the adoptee and
adoptive parents may cause trust issues in the adoptee (Wegar, 1995). Baran
(1975) stated, Late adolescence . . . is the period of intensified identity
concerns and is a time when the feelings about adoption become more intense and
questions about the past increase. Unless the adopted child has the answers to
these arising questions, identity formation can be altered and somewhat halted.

McRoy et al. (1990) agree with this point: Adolescence is a period when young
people seek an integrated and stable ego identity. This occurs as they seek to
link their current self-perceptions with their self perceptions from earlier
periods and with their cultural and biological heritage (Brodzindky, 1987, p.

37). Adopted children sometimes have difficulty with this task because they
often do not have the necessary information from the past to begin to develop a
stable sense of who they are. They often have incomplete knowledge about why
they wer...