doption and the Dilemma of Autobiographical Identity
Three anecdotes about the search for one's mother/family of origin and its possible meaning for autobiographical identity
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.22544/rcps.v44i02.02Keywords:
adoption, autobiographical identity, stigmaAbstract
This article proposes a critical reflection on the possible effects on the adoptee of the detachment from the family of origin and the process of bonding with the adoptive family. Some central aspects of psychosocial development and the building of identity from the viewpoint of the autobiographical narrative are considered to identify the possible evidence of a void in the ensuing process of building the sense of oneself. Some strategies used by the institutions in charge and by the adoptive families in terms of the management of information prior to adoption are considered as moderating elements that often do not facilitate the subject’s access to the possible answers to the questions that almost necessarily arise when he or she measures the meaning of having been the subject of adoption. In the place of this vacuum, it is likely that the stigma of adoption as a discontinuity with genealogy or a lack of authenticity to family belonging plays a critical role that sharpens the difficulty of reconstructing the autobiographical narrative. The search for a reunion with the biological mother/family could reflect the emotional intensity and deep meaning of enduring this pending aspect in adult identity. Likewise, if the reunion resolves this subjective concern to some extent. Three anecdotes of adults that coped with ascertaining their origins illustrate and enable a debate surrounding the self-identity of the adoptee.References
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