Sociology Alumni publishes paper on adoption and identity

November is Adoption Awareness Month, and for this spotlight, the Department of Sociology would like to recognize a Ph.D. graduate who has dedicated his studies to the topic of adoption.

Aside from ethnic identity, adult adoptees' identity have received little attention. Adoption is still a marginalized family model and stigmatized condition, however, and because some struggle with the social stigma of being adopted, they are unlikely to merely blend into American communities.

To explore adoption identity, Farnad J. Darnell, Ph.D., who received his doctorate in sociology from Wayne State University in 2007, has just published his doctoral thesis on adult adoption adjustment in Adoption Quarterly. Farnad was himself adopted as a child. His study describes psychosocial aspects and self-experiences related to transnational adoption adjustment.

Biological parents, birthdays, and the adoption history, with the latter defined as family, pride, and difficulties, are themes that all concerned the adult adoptees in his study which may be used to improve on assessment of adult adoptees' adjustment.

View the paper: Adoption and Identity Experiences Among Adult Transnational Adoptees: A Qualitative Study

Words by Anya Beate Johansen