The Primal Wound: Legacy of the Adopted Child? A Preliminary Investigation into the Effects of Separation from the Birth Mother on Adopted Children
| dc.contributor.author | Verrier, Nancy Newton | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-05-05T18:02:19Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-05-05T18:02:19Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 1986 | |
| dc.description.abstract | This is a pilot study designed to investigate and gather potential evidence of an early wound to the Self of adoptees, which is presumed to be a consequence of their being abandoned by the birth mother. Since the event being brought into question is both preverbal and preconscious, it was not possible to directly access the necessary information. It was, therefore, necessary to devise a series of questions that would form a network of attitudes, feelings, and behaviors that might infer the existence of such a wound . Fifteen adult adoptees were interviewed, using a questionnaire as a guide. It was determined that many participants often feel insecure in their sense of Self, experience difficulties in relationships having to do with issues of trust, intimacy, separation, and loss, and have fears of unworthiness, rejection, and further abandonment. As children, many adoptees felt isolated and lonely with underlying feelings of depression and/or anxiety. The anxiety often manifested in behavior that was either "testing-out" or compliant, with both groups withdrawing into a false self, which belied their inner feelings. Many felt that finding birth parents, especially the mother, would help them find their sense of Self . It is recommended that more research about adoption issues be done with larger samples and with controls. Attention should be paid to prenatal and perinatal psychology, bonding, and early narcissistic injury as it pertains to the psychology of the Self. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11803/3366 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher.institution | John F. Kennedy University (JFKU) | |
| dc.title | The Primal Wound: Legacy of the Adopted Child? A Preliminary Investigation into the Effects of Separation from the Birth Mother on Adopted Children | |
| dc.type | Thesis | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Clinical Psychology | |
| thesis.degree.grantor | John F. Kennedy University (JFKU) | |
| thesis.degree.level | Masters | |
| thesis.degree.name | Master's Degree in Clinical Psychology |