Psychological Effects Of Child Adoption Essay

According to Paul Brinich, adoption can be seen as one thing for some children and adults - traumatic (SC8). Often it is seen as a traumatic and painful event because in some cultures adoption happens when both parents die or they are unable or unwilling to care for their child (BE3). Also, the tragedies of the process are reflected on the child who is adopted and their psychological development. Sometimes children struggle to believe that his or her adopted parents are their real parents (Brinich). For example, if the child is older and has been moved around a lot, it may take time for him or her to finally grasp the idea of not moving anymore and that he or she would finally have a permanent home and a family (Gray). Another thing that may happen if a child has had many homes before a permanent one is that they may try to act perfectly to ensure that the parents love them, but this typically does not last long. After this short period, they may start to act out by breaking the rules often. The child is trying to send a message of “I’m …show more content…
With these adoption comes a positive or negative effect on the child. Rejection, grief, and abandonment - these are just some of the feelings that an adopted child may feel (SC9). Some children might not care to know who their birth family is because they already have a family. But others might just want to know why their parents gave them up for adoption (BE5) (Patricelli; Brown). A positive effect for children who are adopted is that they get a permanent home and a family that loves them (Brown). A negative effect is that children who are adopted develop disabilities at twice the rate of a child who lives in a home with both of their biological parents. If the children continue to feel a sense of rejection as they grow up and become more independent, they can get help (“Adoption and”). Overall, the positive effects of adoption outweigh the