"When you grow up in your biological family, you rarely stop to notice the little familiarities surrounding you. A laugh that sounds just like your father's. A facial expression that mirrors your grandmother's. A talent for music that seems to go back generations. These reflections are examples of genetic mirrors, quiet reminders of who you are, where you come from, and where you might be headed."
"For adoptees and current foster youth, these mirrors are often absent. Without them, children may feel like explorers "without a map", uncertain of where they belong. This absence can result in what psychologist H. J. Sants described as genealogical bewilderment: the confusion and disorientation of not knowing one's roots. According to developmental psychologist Erik Erikson, young people who are confused about their heritage have " identity hunger." The fostered and adopted psyche hungers for the nourishment of the mystery of their lineage after parental separation."
Genetic mirroring describes inherited physical traits, temperaments, talents, strengths, vulnerabilities, and personality styles reflected across biological family members. When those reflections are missing, adoptees and foster youth can experience genealogical bewilderment characterized by confusion and disorientation about origins. This creates an identity hunger during development and a persistent search for belonging and self-understanding. Children without genetic mirrors often try on identities, attitudes, and hobbies to find something that feels like home. Even when raised in loving adoptive families, many face identity crises. Adaptation becomes essential, and many adoptees describe themselves as adaptees because adaptation was necessary for survival.
Read at Psychology Today
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]