“I Always Wanted to Look at Another Human and Say I Can See That Human in Me”: Understanding Genealogical Bewilderment in the Context of Racialised Intercountry Adoptees

Barn, Ravinder; Mansuri, Nushra

doi:10.3390/genealogy3040071

Cited by 9 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…. there’s all the kids and there’s me, standing way up here above everyone.” While integrating within the adoptive family is important developmentally and an adaptive mechanism, the disconnection between internal experience and external appearance can be angst-inducing, disconcerting, and generate identity diffusion (Barn & Mansuri, 2019), additional challenges which adoptees need to traverse.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Various research attempts to document how adoption is a complex interplay of biological, social, psychological and cultural elements and a myriad of conditions exist to describe the problems adoptees present with, problems that often have psychological underpinnings. These include genealogical bewilderment (Barn & Mansuri, 2019; Sants, 1964), adopted child syndrome (Kirschner & Nagel, 1988; J. Smith, 2001), cumulative adoption trauma (Lifton, 2002) and psychic homelessness (Hoksbergen, 1997).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Smith, 2001), cumulative adoption trauma (Lifton, 2002) and psychic homelessness (Hoksbergen, 1997). There is also a significant body of literature that documents the additional difficulties both same-race and transracial adoptees experience in relation to identity formation (Baden, 2016; Barn, 2018; Barn & Mansuri, 2019; Ferrari et al, 2015; Grotevant et al, 2017; Hamilton et al, 2015; Samuels, 2009). Given the unique circumstances produced by adoption, it is perhaps unsurprising that an unknown genetic history, a lack of kinship connection and not fitting well into an adoptive family might produce emotional distress, insecurity, poor mental health, attachment or adjustment problems (Barn & Mansuri, 2019; Holmgren et al, 2020; Kelly et al, 1998; Upshur & Demick, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Poipoia te kākano, kia puawai: resilience and resistance in the lives of Māori adoptees

Blake

Ahuriri‐Driscoll

McBreen

et al. 2023

AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples

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Closed stranger adoption has not commonly been recognised as a tool of Indigenous oppression in Aotearoa New Zealand, yet it was a colonial practice that caused great harm to Māori. This article narrates some of the ways in which adoptees who identify as Māori demonstrate resilience and resistance to the pernicious effects of closed stranger adoption. Using a mana (strengths-based values) enhancing approach, meaning we champion respect and understanding, this research elucidates how Māori adoptees navigate complex social relationships in courageous and creative ways, including when seeking birth kinship, maintaining those relationships, and making broader efforts to (re)connect with things Māori. Māori adoptees want their experiences to be recognised by Māori and non-Māori alike, so that the ongoing harms of closed stranger adoption can be redressed, and the next generations do not continue to live the negative impacts.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Poipoia te kākano, kia puawai: resilience and resistance in the lives of Māori adoptees

Blake

Ahuriri‐Driscoll

McBreen

et al. 2023

AlterNative: An International Journal of Indigenous Peoples

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…As Haimes (2006) noted, knowing one’s genetic origin is an innate need for a stable sense of identity. Without such knowledge, an individual may suffer from genealogical bewilderment and identity confusion (Kernreiter et al, 2020), which can lead to psychological distress and mental health difficulties (Barn & Mansuri, 2019). Indeed, a study by Tieman et al (2008) showed that adult adoptees who searched for their genetic roots presented more psychiatric problems.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Psychosocial Consequences of Disclosing Misattributed Paternity: A Narrative Review

Cerfontyne,

D’Souza,

Patlamazoglou

2023

Journal of Family Issues

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Unlike adoption and donor-assisted reproduction, misattributed paternity occurring within the context of spontaneous conception and outside of formally recognised practices of having a child remains largely an understudied phenomenon. Despite being an age-old phenomenon affecting a substantial population, the psychosocial consequences of disclosing and discovering misattributed paternity continue to lack empirical understanding. The current paper delineates misattributed paternity from other paternal discrepancies and reviews the limited body of scholarly arguments regarding the potential psychosocial consequences of disclosure/non-disclosure for individuals with paternal discrepancy. Four major categories of pro- and anti-disclosure arguments have been identified and reviewed: arguments concerned with potential disclosure/non-disclosure consequences for the child; for the parents; for the child-parent relationship and for the family unit. The review highlights the dearth of empirical knowledge on the psychosocial consequences of misattributed paternity and advocates a more nuanced exploration of this phenomenon and the need for specialist support.

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“…Genealogical bewilderment is still recognised today as a difficulty associated with adoption (Barn & Mansuri, 2019).…”

Section: The Adoption Experience and Potential Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finding my voice: A qualitative exploration into the perceived impact of person‐centred counsellor training upon counsellors who were adopted as a baby

Parkes

Mintz

2021

Couns and Psychother Res

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This small-scale qualitative study explored how qualified person-centred counsellors who were adopted as a baby perceived the impact of their person-centred counselling training. The study focused on the adoptees' experiences of adoption and how these influenced their experience of person-centred counselling training. Data were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis to gain insight into how the participants made sense of their lived experience. The findings supported the difficulties associated with adoption, which not only are present in existing literature and research but also placed an emphasis on the particular vulnerabilities associated with being adopted as a baby. The findings further highlighted the positive impact of person-centred counselling training on the participants' personal development, which included the following: increased self-awareness, self-acceptance, identity development and 'having a voice'. The findings confer implications for clinical practice in understanding the experience of adoptees who were adopted as a baby and for trainers in the planning and provision of person-centred training. The research also identifies the healing aspects of person-centred counselling training, which facilitated the participants' positive self-development. In addition, unique opportunities for counsellors who were also adopted as a baby are suggested and the need for the Adoption Support Fund to be extended to allow an adoptee of any age to access therapeutic support is also identified. The links made between adoption and person-centred training are an original area of research and are worthy of further exploration.

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“I Always Wanted to Look at Another Human and Say I Can See That Human in Me”: Understanding Genealogical Bewilderment in the Context of Racialised Intercountry Adoptees

Cited by 9 publications

References 40 publications

Poipoia te kākano, kia puawai: resilience and resistance in the lives of Māori adoptees

Poipoia te kākano, kia puawai: resilience and resistance in the lives of Māori adoptees

Psychosocial Consequences of Disclosing Misattributed Paternity: A Narrative Review

Finding my voice: A qualitative exploration into the perceived impact of person‐centred counsellor training upon counsellors who were adopted as a baby

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