Mentor: Yvette Harris, Ph.D.

Based on qualitative interviews, this study posed the question of how adoption stories affect adoptees’ perception of identity. For the purposes of this study, the adoption story is defined as the story that explains the child’s journey into the adoptive family. From likes to dislikes, passions, and relationships, humans have always tried to fit themselves into the mold of what is called identity. However, for many transnational adoptees, questions about identity travel much deeper due to significant portions of their stories being redacted. Because grounded theory shows off the narrative behind the numbers, it is uniquely suited to the examination of the adoption story. Accordingly, this study analyzed coded interview transcripts to seek patterns, and compare and create themes that emerged from the data. Three major themes emerged; parent’s perspective of adoption stories, adoptee’s rediscovery of their story, and increased identity awareness. The combination of these themes resulted in an improved sense of wholeness about personal story as the adoptee gets older.

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