The "psi" discourse in the field of adoption. Possibilities and limits as opposed to the traditional family model

Abstract

In the current context of child adoption, psychology occupies a privileged position as expert discourse, both for adults / people who wish to adopt and for public/private institutions. Based on our fieldwork with professionals and institutions in areas related to the problem and the families who turn to them, we propose to address the meanings assigned to adoption as well as the proposed or discussed pre-suppositions or models regarding family, parenthood and parentage, from the anthropology of kinship. The importance attributed to blood ties, families of origin, social and political consequences, is a central question that articulates our work. We suggest the existence of a "psy shared knowledge" that appears as an authorized referent at the moment of legitimizing or delegitimizing practices and representations in the field. We will try to outline the idea of a coexistence of meanings in transition, in which prevails (in line with the western values of kinship) the enhancement of the knowledge of the origins as a "biological truth" and a part of the identity, without encouragement of the maintaining of affective bonds with more than one family group at a time.