The adoption life cycle

Adoption is once again the subject of intense controversy. Some groups call for the abolition of adoption altogether as an outmoded social institution that fails to meet the needs of any of the members involved, while others propose major changes in our social and legal systems. Yet few reformers have been able to reach a consensus, or to provide concrete solutions to the problems they describe. In this first book to take into account all the new issues surrounding the adoption debate, Elisor Rosenberg throws light on what adoption means for all three members of the triad - adoptees, adoptive parents, and birth parents - at every stage of life. Drawing on extensive case examples, she examines the ways in which the triad members' lives interact with and affect each other in the course of their lifetimes, and offers direct, practical advice on handling the issues and conflicts that often arise.^ The continued mourning of birth parents, the difficult behavior of a child who tests the bounds of an adoptive parent's love and acceptance, and the numerous developmental hurdles of adoptive parents are just some of the issues which Rosenberg addresses. A section on the clinical implications of adoption, illuminated with case studies, will be especially helpful for therapists and social workers who encounter adoption circle members in their practices. Also useful will be the outline of developmental tasks for each member of the triad. This outline will help those in the adoption circle, as well as professionals, to understand better both the problems encountered in the past and the challenges that lie ahead. The institution of adoption is still a fine solution to a significant social problem, the author concludes, when we view it from the perspective of a lifetime.^ To be successful, the author argues, the adoption of children must be administered and undertaken with a realistic sense of the ways this experience is at once similar to and profoundly different from the non-adoptive experience, and with an appreciation of the losses and pains, as well as the great pleasures, it represents. With this understanding we can then begin to address more effectively the problems that arise and make the appropriate changes so that all members in the adoption circle will benefit.