The adoptive parents: prejudice, fantasies, unconscious motivation factors and their implication on the child's symptom formation

Author(s)

Iyama, Renata

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: São Paulo. [2004]. 132 f.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Psicologia
• Defense date: 09 jun. 2004
• Advisor: Gomes, Isabel Cristina
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology
• Indexed in: Banco de Dados Bibliográficos da USP-DEDALUS; Index Psi Teses - IP/USP
• Location: Universidade de São Paulo. Biblioteca do Instituto de Psicologia; HV875; I97p

Abstract

This research has the objective of enlarging the knowledge about adoption, having focus on the adoptive parents. In this work, the following questions have been boarded: prejudice, fantasies and unconscious motivation factors for the adoption. The research has been done with adoptive parents, who have arrived at the Clinic-School of the Institute of Psychology of the University of São Paulo, bringing the adoptive child with some kind of symptom. A brief psychotherapy of psychoanalytical orientation has been proposed to the adoptive parents. Three couples have participated in this research. We realize that in all cases the adoption has been motivated by unconscious factors, that have privileged the interests of the parents, such as: an effort to save the marriage, fear of being lonely, repetition of the family history and the need of being protected against death and against incestuous fantasies. In two cases, among the unconscious fantasies, the one related to the adoptive child's spoiled blood has predominated. We notice that in these families the prejudice related to the problematic future of the adoptive child has been presented. Moreover, it has been identified the prejudice related to the race in the interracial adoption case. In one of the cases, however, the unconscious fantasies and prejudice have given place to the denying of the son's difficulties. We conclude that the way adoptive parents look at their children is influenced by prejudice, fantasies and by the unconscious motivation factors, and that this defocused look is related to the children's symptoms. (AU)