Study Group on the Problems of Adopted Children

The general aim of the group is to study the inner world of the adopted child, his thoughts and fantasies about his adoption, about his biological parents, and the reasons for his adoption1. Our emphasis on the ‘inner’ world of the child has arisen from our conviction that, in order to learn how to cope with the many problems which adoption can present to the community and to those concerned, it is important to get beyond the outward signs of the adopted child's adjustment or maladjustment, and to know more of how he feels about himself and his situation.

We have so far studied the analytic material of seven adopted children. In the course of our work we have noted a profound effect of adoption on the child's sense of identity, on his self representation and self-esteem. We have also noted the need on the part of the child to maintain or establish some links with his past. Efforts to establish such links with the biological mother via fantasies of an imaginary twin or companion were described in our second report2.

A more practical topic to which we addressed ourselves recently was when to tell the child that he is adopted. We noted a divergence of opinion concerning this issue in the relevant literature.

Our plan for the current year is to study whether there are additional developmental tasks which the adopted child has to face, and what these tasks are.3