The increase in transracial adoption in modern society has not been without some controversy over its practice. Conflicting studies, have exposed and given rise to greater sensitivity to the impact of transracial adoption on adoptees-. As noted, prior studies have indicated that Korean adoptees adjust well to their environment (Feigelman & Silverman, Kim, 1977, 1978; Simon, 1974); however, some studies indicate a negative outcome (Chestang, 1972; Chimezie, 1975) and some ethnic groups (i.e., Native Americans and The National Association of Black Social Workers) have discouraged the practice of transracial adoption. In an attempt to clarify such issues surrounding transracial adoption, the purpose of this study was to explore the impact of adoption on adult Korean adoptees.This study examined whether acculturation, assimilation, cultural identity, age of placement of Korean adoptees, and revisiting Korea play a role in self-concept. In addition, this study wanted to look at whether the positive initial adjustment found in Kim's (1977; 1978) studies continued into adulthood for Korean adoptees. Adjustment was based upon self-concept. The results from this study indicated that acculturation, assimilation, cultural identity, placement of Korean adoptees, and revisit of Korea had little influence in self-concept. As noted, the results indicated that: 1) acculturation was only related to Verbal self-concept; 2) revisiting Korea did not predict self-concept; however, cultural identity did play an important part in self concept; 3) age of placement of Korean adoptees related only to Verbal, Math, and Honesty self-concept; and 4) in general, positive adjustment based upon self-concept appeared to continue into adulthood for Korean adoptees.In summary, adjustment for Korean adoptees appeared to continue into adulthood. In addition, cultural identity appeared not to relate to Korean adoptees' self-concept. However, as noted, there needs to be further studies due to the limitations of this study, particularly the measurements. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Toronto, 2007. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 68-06, Section: B, page: 4159. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 183-195).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Delaware, 2006. / Principal faculty advisor: Mary Dozier, Dept. of Psychology. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2005. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 109-115). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed July 18, 2007). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 196-203).

To address a gap in the empirical literature on Educational Psychology (EP) practice and on adoption, and to gain perspectives from the Local Authority (LA), this thesis describes collaborative action research conducted by an Educational Psychologist (EP) with adoptive parents to support their communications with school staff. Participants were members of an Adoption Support Group and colleagues in Social Care. Information was gathered via focus groups and semi-structured questionnaires to ascertain the types of difficulties expressed by adoptive parents and inform the processes of communication systems. Participatory action research empowered participants to engage in meaningful and purposeful actions of planning, designing and evaluating information. The research narrative reports on first person inquiry through personal reflection and learning. Second person inquiry was generated in the course of research interactions with participants and the data that emerged from their realities to inform practical learning in action. Third person inquiry moved towards thinking around explanations for issues and the generation of knowledge. Knowledge was developed about parents’ perspectives on the barriers and enabling factors involved in their communications with school staff. The action research approach captured the potential of the insider position to generate rich data in situ while promoting a collaborative response to the social situation faced by the adopters when communicating with school staff. My insider position as researcher, holding multiple roles as an adoptive parent, as an EP and LA officer, is actively acknowledged as influencing understanding and the conceptualisations of the findings. The participants collaborated in the generation of a resource that provided opportunities for insight into issues to improve working practice and may provide a tool to allow parents to communicate effectively with school staff. The resource supported two main recognised functions: practical structure and emotional support. Empowering approaches were those that respected their knowledge, used their language and meanings in an emancipatory way that removed barriers, and were inclusive of them and their children. Communication is enhanced by and depends on systems that are empowering for parents and staff to co-construct shared understandings.

During the late 1960s and early 1970s, Sweden was a major recipient of children adopted from abroad. Many of these children originate in countries in Asia and South America and have now grown up and are in their 50s. Over the years, there have been different opinions about how these children should or can fit into Swedish society and what consequences it can have for the children. I have in various contexts during my life come into contact with other visibly expatriates who experience a feeling of belonging but still not. That one is expected to be and feel Swedish but that society and people in the environment do not really allow it to happen. Over the years, several voices have also discussed mental illness, relationship vulnerability, a sense of exclusion and an experience that something "is broken". This is something that has affected me and that has led to my curiosity about exploring the area more deeply. The purpose of this study is to investigate how transnationally adopted women perceive their self-image. Seven interviews have been conducted with visibly foreign adopted women born in India, Thailand, Colombia, and British Guiana. All respondents have come to Sweden before or at the age of two. The results have been analyzed using social psychological theory, symbolic interactionism, and theoretical thoughts by Goffman. The first research question was about what factors in the adopted family image can be used as a basis for the influence of the self-image. Family-related factors that have had an impact are both the family structure and composition themselves, but also events during childhood and childhood. The significant others have proven to be of great importance for the conditions given for building a safe and positive self-image. For some, early separation experiences have set a mark when later in life they have experienced separation anxiety and in some cases relationship vulnerability to others. The second research question was to find out which factors in the adoptee’s interaction with society can be the basis for the influence of the self-image. The adoptee’s interaction with society has been shown to influence the self-image as the surroundings contribute to a tangible middle-class relationship. Not all respondents are affected by the prejudices and beliefs of the environment as they have different resistance to vulnerability, prejudice, and normative beliefs. However, most people feel that prejudice from the environment affects self-image and creates what Goffman describes as stigma. The mental health is affected by a combination of family and society, as the significant other has a major impact on how the child navigates the outside world. Mental health seems to be influenced by growing up conditions and opportunities to explore ones internal. Finally, it has been shown that the respondents' self-image is very much influenced by the environment's ability to "stamp" the respondents through boundless curiosity and questioning.

Submitted to the Faculty of Theology and Religion Studies in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Theology in the Department of Practical Theology at the University of Zululand, 2004. / A literary critique is offered on the publication "Theology in a New Key: Responding to Liberation Themes", by Robert M. Brown. His view of Christian ministry differs fundamentally from the documented ministry of the early Church, described by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles. A comparative analysis is presented in this dissertation. A brief review is made of the Christian Church in South Africa, with reference to early Christian missionaries who helped establish the Christian faith in this country. The devastation caused to the Church and the nation by fifty years of Apartheid is discussed. Attitudes towards the role of the Christian Church in society differ according to religious or philosophical belief. A brief examination of Atheism, Agnosticism, Deism, and Theism is undertaken, and conclusions drawn concerning their attitudes towards the Christian Church. Situational Ethics is the practical outworking of many religious and philosophical views in the 21st century, and is here exposed as unbiblical. It is also illogical, in that it expects the Christian Church to provide 'social convenience', while offering no personal commitment Socio-medical aspects of South Africa's monstrous HIV/AIDS epidemic are presented, and a case study done of an orphanage in KwaZulu-Natal, to establish the precise nature, financial viability, and balance of spiritual ministry within this Christian Care Centre. Recommendations for effective and biblical Christian ministry in the 'new' South Africa are presented.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Work , Faculty of Humanities, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2017 / In South Africa, there are thousands of children who cannot be raised by their parents or relatives and consequently unrelated, legal adoption is usually considered to be in their best interests. South Africa has ratified international agreements, which emphasise that adoptable children have a right to grow up in their country of origin and intercountry adoption should be considered ‘a last resort’. The Children’s Act (No. 38 of 2005) legally entrenches several innovations to facilitate adoptable children being raised in South Africa. Accredited adoption agencies have made ongoing efforts to make adoption more accessible to South Africans, but the number of South Africans legally adopting unrelated children adoption is small and continues to decline. To help address this pressing child welfare problem, the main aim of this research was to develop a grounded theory explaining what factors affect the decision-making processes of urban black South Africans regarding legally adopting unrelated child. This population group was focused on because they presented as a promising pool of prospective adopters. It was reasoned that to facilitate domestic adoption, policy makers and practitioners need to gain a clearer understanding of what factors dissuade black South Africans from legally adopting unrelated children. A qualitative inquiry was conducted using the Corbin and Strauss approach to the grounded theory method. Personal interviews were conducted with 39 purposively selected black participants that were divided into five cohorts, namely i) adopters ii) adoption applicants in the process of being assessed as prospective adopters iii) adoption applicants who did not to enter the assessment process iv) social workers specialising in the field of adoption and v) South African citizens who have some knowledge of legal adoption practice. The grounded theory emerging was ‘Tensions surrounding adoption policy and practice and perceptions and experiences of adoption.’ Essentially this grounded theory is based on five categories: Meanings of Kinship; Information and Support; Cultural and Material Mobility; Parenthood, Gender and Identity and Perceptions of Parenting and Childhood. It is recommended that adoption policy and practice be shaped to reflect a balanced child-centred and adult-centred approach. Furthermore, recruitment strategies should be based on findings at a grassroots level. Key words: legal adoption; adoptable children; Africanisation; decision-making processes, adoption assessment process and grounded theory. / GR2018

Sue et al. (2007, p. 271) define a microaggression as: “Brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative…slights and insults towards [the marginalized group].” Microaggressions have not been used to analyze the experiences of adoptees in a bionormative society. A total of 156 interviews (males=75, females=81) and questionnaires of White adolescent adoptees in same-race families were analyzed using a mixed methods design. Study 1 used thematic analysis to discover 16 themes of microaggressions. Study 2 used the microaggression as the unit of analysis in chi squares to determine if themes were associated with levels of intensity, emotional reactions, initiators, gender, and age group. For nine themes, intensity was not equally distributed, with the most frequent level being medium. Emotion was not equally distributed across twelve themes, with the most frequent response being neutral. Initiator was not equally distributed across ten themes, with the most frequent initiators being peers/friends. Gender and age group were not equally distributed, with females most frequently experiencing three themes, and younger adolescents most frequently experiencing two themes. In Study 3, analyses used the individual person as the unit of analysis to assess the experience of microaggressions across all adoptees related to gender, age, and adoptees’ perceptions of their adoptions. Significant mean differences were found in average intensity level and number of microaggressions for males and females. Number of microaggressions and average intensity were negatively correlated with scores on the Positive Affect about adoption scale.