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Because adoptees tend to believe that their innate defectiveness, not the chosen-child story, was the real reason they were relinquished by their birth parents, they often develop defenses which protect them from another abandonment, this time by their adoptive families. To assimilate, adoptees typically develop the as-if personality, compromising themselves in order to fit in with a biologically alien family. Sealed records leave adoptees in a state of genealogical bewilderment with no knowledge of their ancestry, inherent talents, or biological weaknesses. The urgency to resolve this through a successful search is offset by the loss of the fantasy mother and the risk of being rejected by her again. The following study explores the seven-year analysis of an adopted woman who was reunited with her birth parents during the course of treatment to assess whether establishing her biological roots and, thereby, having a more authentic sense of self, can ameliorate the as-if defense.
In conducting this study, particular attention was paid to the split transference. The analysand's ability to express anger spontaneously in session was a measure of authenticity before and after the search. The question of whether full integration of the personality is dependent upon establishing biological roots is the thrust of this research.