Psychological research on family and adoption has been a crucial contributing factor in making it possible for psychology to interact with legal rules, which has brought about a cultural and juridical revolution in the world of childhood and has given deep, appropriate meaning to the status of a child and to the role of family in promoting the development of the child's personality. The family is not protected as such, but as a means of promoting the development of the child's personality. Birth family and adoptive family are, therefore, the two ends of the minor’s right to have a family with a view to ensuring their well-being. The best context in which a child may grow up is their birth family, but in case of abandonment the child has the right to live in a substitute family context that is adequate to welcome them. The decision to sever this extremely important tie between the child and their birth family can only be justified if it is not otherwise possible to protect the child's preeminent need to live in a protective family environment that is conducive to their growth. The effects of abandonment can be devastating and can jeopardize the emotional development of the child. Psychological research focused on the behaviours of children who experienced abandonment, showed that problems may include hyperactivity, attention deficit, stereotypies, self-harm, lack of eye contact with other people, difficulties in externalizing and internalizing behaviours, self-regulation and relationship difficulties (Fermani, Muzi, 2019). Starting from a study of the theoretical paradigms of social psychology on this subject, an analysis of the texts of the main regulations on the right of a child to have a family was carried out, using an approach that is similar to that of legal psychology. The study showed that the protection of the child's right to live in an appropriate family context, even if substitutive, is interrupted when the adoptive family is "built" by a sentence. The assistance provided by social services is extended, at the latest, to a year after the child joined the new family, in the event of international adoption. This data is cause for concern: psychological studies and research show that the building up of a substitutive family – the creation of the adoptive pact – is a route that requires a long time. It is a stressful event and the family must be helped in order that the remedial function of well-being can be fulfilled. The adoptive family is "created" in order to protect the child, therefore it is among those personal rights that, to be fully enforced, must really satisfy the needs of the person (Camerini, 2013). The protection of the child can be considered as definitively accomplished only when, in the substitute family, the route to becoming a family has come to an end and the minor has overcome all the difficulties ensuing from their past. The social survey completing this work was conducted precisely with this aim in mind. Since the specific purpose of this piece of research was aimed at having an understanding of the family pathway that leads to the adoptive pact, from an epistemological and methodological point of view it was decided to use qualitative methods and, among these, investigation through semi-structured interviews. Social-constructionist epistemology was embraced, assuming that the data collected and its interpretation are a representation of reality and the product of an interactive meaning-construction process involving a researcher, research participants and a context. The research participants were the parents of 14 families; 27 substitute caregivers of 19 children adopted in 10 different countries and who joined their adoptive families at different ages. The objective of this survey was to ascertain whether there were common positive educational strategies in the interviewed families and whether reproducible relational patterns are possible, whether it is possible to understand the quality of the relationships that are created in the family context, in order to identify the remedial processes and strategies implemented by the family unit to overcome the problematic situations that may have arisen in the route to becoming a family. In investigating the effectiveness of the adoptive family, an attempt was made to understand how the community context, the positive resources of people and their environment influenced the route to adoption. Notwithstanding the limitations of this survey, interesting results emerged from the analysis of the data. For example, the conditions that have played a protective role in the family lives of all the subjects involved in the adoption route, from harmony between the partners and in parenting, to the family and friendship/social network, in addition to the positive resources of the people involved. However, the overall results of the qualitative analysis show a more complex picture in which the couple has to face considerable difficulties in solitude, especially in the post-adoption phase. The outcome of the data analysis leads to confirm that the adoptive family is the most favourable environment for the development of the skills and the realization of the potential of the child who was abandoned, but love and parenting are not sufficient to "create" the family and heal the child’s wounds. The adoptive family – a family that is in a state of constant evolution to a greater extent than other families – has a challenging task that is fulfilled over time. The family needs being supported and not to be left alone in the accomplishment of this task, which is also a social one. The research findings show that legislation should also include the well-being of the child and of the family in the ultimate goals of adoption, not just to keep the child safe in a suitable family context, as often is the case. This should be pursued with a view to social justice and with the possible contribution of restorative justice. While not denying how much abandonment can affect the child’s psyche, the look is taken towards the future and focused on how the adoptive family can be the place where this loss can be dealt with and where the child can be helped look for their roots (Pojaghi, 2014) and create new ones.
I contributi delle ricerche psicologiche sulla famiglia e sull’adozione rappresentano i capisaldi che hanno permesso alla psicologia di interagire con le norme di diritto, rendendo possibile una rivoluzione culturale e giuridica del mondo dell’infanzia e dando un profondo e adeguato senso allo status di figlio e alla funzione della famiglia, che è quella di promuovere lo sviluppo della personalità del minore. La famiglia non è tutelata in sé, ma quale mezzo di promozione dello sviluppo della personalità del minore. Famiglia biologica e famiglia adottiva rappresentano, dunque, i due estremi del diritto del soggetto minore di età ad avere una famiglia, in una prospettiva funzionale al suo benessere. Il contesto ottimale di crescita è quello di origine, in caso di abbandono il bambino ha il diritto di vivere in un contesto familiare sostitutivo, adeguato ad accoglierlo. La decisione di recidere questo importantissimo legame con le origini può essere giustificato solo nel caso in cui non sia in altro modo possibile tutelare la preminente esigenza del bambino di vivere in un ambiente familiare tutelante, funzionale alla sua crescita. Gli effetti dell’abbandono possono essere molto traumatizzanti e compromettere il percorso evolutivo del bambino. Le ricerche psicologiche, focalizzate sulla sfera comportamentale del minore proveniente da un’esperienza di abbandono, hanno evidenziato che i problemi si possono manifestare sotto forma di iperattività, deficit di attenzione, stereotipie, autolesionismi, mancanza di contatto visivo con altre persone, difficoltà nell’esternare e nell’interiorizzare comportamenti, difficoltà di autoregolazione e di relazione (Fermani, Muzi, 2019). Partendo dallo studio dei paradigmi teorici della psicologia sociale sull’argomento, si è passati ad un’analisi dei testi delle principali normative sul diritto del minore ad avere una famiglia, con un approccio affine al diritto psicologico. Lo studio ha evidenziato che la tutela del diritto del minore a vivere in un contesto familiare adeguato, anche se sostitutivo, si interrompe nel momento in cui viene “costruita”, tramite sentenza, la famiglia adottiva. Il periodo di assistenza dei servizi sociali si prolunga, al più tardi, dopo un anno dell’ingresso del bambino, in caso di adozione internazionale. Questo dato è grave, gli studi e le ricerche psicologiche dimostrano che la formazione della famiglia sostitutiva, la creazione del patto adottivo, è un percorso che richiede molto tempo. E’ un evento stressante e la famiglia deve essere aiutata affinché la funzione riparativa del benessere possa essere realizzata. La famiglia adottiva viene “creata” per un’esigenza di tutela del bambino, quindi, rientra tra quei diritti della persona che, per essere pienamente realizzati, devono riuscire a soddisfare realmente le esigenze della persona (Camerini, 2013). La tutela del bambino potrà considerarsi definitivamente chiusa solo quando nella famiglia sostitutiva si sarà concluso il percorso per diventare famiglia e il soggetto minore di età non avrà superato tutte le difficoltà che gli derivano dal suo passato. La ricerca sociale, che ha completato questo lavoro di studio, è stata realizzata proprio con questo intento. Considerato che l’interesse della ricerca era diretto alla comprensione del percorso familiare che conduce al patto adottivo, sotto il profilo epistemologico e metodologico si è optato per metodi qualitativi e, tra questi, di indagine tramite interviste semi-strutturate. E’ stata condivisa un’epistemologia socio-costruzionista, assumendo che i dati raccolti e la loro interpretazione sono una rappresentazione della realtà e il prodotto di un processo interattivo di costruzione dei significati tra ricercatore, partecipanti e contesto. I partecipanti alla ricerca sono stati i genitori di 14 nuclei famigliari; 27 caregiver sostitutivi di 19 bambini adottati in 10 diversi Paesi ed entrati nelle loro famiglie adottive in diverse fasce di età. La ricerca si è posta come obiettivo quello verificare se esistono, nelle famiglie intervistate, comuni strategie educative positive e se sono possibili modelli relazionali ripetibili. Cogliere la qualità delle relazioni che si creano nel contesto familiare, per individuare i processi e le strategie riparative messe in atto dal nucleo per superare le situazioni problematiche che si sono presentate nel percorso per diventare famiglia. Nell’indagare l’efficacia della famiglia adottiva si è cercato di capire come hanno influenzato il percorso adottivo il contesto comunitario, le risorse positive delle persone e i loro ambienti. Nonostante i molti limiti della ricerca, dall’analisi dei dati sono emersi risultati interessanti. Ad esempio, le condizioni che hanno agito in senso protettivo nella vita familiare di tutti i soggetti coinvolti nel percorso adottivo, dalla sintonia di coppia e genitoriale, alla rete familiare ed amicale/sociale, oltre che alle risorse positive delle persone coinvolte. I risultati complessivi dell’analisi qualitativa mostrano, tuttavia, un quadro più complesso in cui la coppia si trova a dover affrontare in solitudine notevoli difficoltà, soprattutto nel post adozione. Il risultato dell’analisi dei dati conduce a confermare che la famiglia adottiva è il terreno più favorevole per l’esplicarsi delle capacità e potenzialità di un bambino che ha subito un abbandono, ma non è sufficiente l’amore e l’accudimento dei genitori per “creare” la famiglia e riparare le ferite che il figlio porta con sé. La famiglia adottiva, che più delle altre è una famiglia in continuo divenire, ha un compito rilevante, che si dispiega nel tempo. In questo compito, anche sociale, la famiglia ha bisogno di non essere lasciata sola, ha bisogno di un supporto. I risultati di ricerca portano ad auspicare una risposta legislativa che includa il benessere del minore e della famiglia tra le finalità ultime dell’adozione, non solo “la messa in sicurezza” del bambino dentro un contesto familiare idoneo, come avviene adesso. In un’ottica di giustizia sociale e con possibili contributi della giustizia riparativa. Senza negare il ruolo che l’abbandono può avere nella psiche del bambino/a, lo sguardo è di prospettiva ed è centrato su come la famiglia adottiva può essere il luogo dove affrontare questa perdita e dove il figlio può essere aiutato a ricercare le proprie radici (Pojaghi, 2014) e crearne delle nuove.
Il diritto all’amore di una famiglia. La funzione sociale e riparativa dell’adozione
MONTI, Rossella
2019
Abstract
Psychological research on family and adoption has been a crucial contributing factor in making it possible for psychology to interact with legal rules, which has brought about a cultural and juridical revolution in the world of childhood and has given deep, appropriate meaning to the status of a child and to the role of family in promoting the development of the child's personality. The family is not protected as such, but as a means of promoting the development of the child's personality. Birth family and adoptive family are, therefore, the two ends of the minor’s right to have a family with a view to ensuring their well-being. The best context in which a child may grow up is their birth family, but in case of abandonment the child has the right to live in a substitute family context that is adequate to welcome them. The decision to sever this extremely important tie between the child and their birth family can only be justified if it is not otherwise possible to protect the child's preeminent need to live in a protective family environment that is conducive to their growth. The effects of abandonment can be devastating and can jeopardize the emotional development of the child. Psychological research focused on the behaviours of children who experienced abandonment, showed that problems may include hyperactivity, attention deficit, stereotypies, self-harm, lack of eye contact with other people, difficulties in externalizing and internalizing behaviours, self-regulation and relationship difficulties (Fermani, Muzi, 2019). Starting from a study of the theoretical paradigms of social psychology on this subject, an analysis of the texts of the main regulations on the right of a child to have a family was carried out, using an approach that is similar to that of legal psychology. The study showed that the protection of the child's right to live in an appropriate family context, even if substitutive, is interrupted when the adoptive family is "built" by a sentence. The assistance provided by social services is extended, at the latest, to a year after the child joined the new family, in the event of international adoption. This data is cause for concern: psychological studies and research show that the building up of a substitutive family – the creation of the adoptive pact – is a route that requires a long time. It is a stressful event and the family must be helped in order that the remedial function of well-being can be fulfilled. The adoptive family is "created" in order to protect the child, therefore it is among those personal rights that, to be fully enforced, must really satisfy the needs of the person (Camerini, 2013). The protection of the child can be considered as definitively accomplished only when, in the substitute family, the route to becoming a family has come to an end and the minor has overcome all the difficulties ensuing from their past. The social survey completing this work was conducted precisely with this aim in mind. Since the specific purpose of this piece of research was aimed at having an understanding of the family pathway that leads to the adoptive pact, from an epistemological and methodological point of view it was decided to use qualitative methods and, among these, investigation through semi-structured interviews. Social-constructionist epistemology was embraced, assuming that the data collected and its interpretation are a representation of reality and the product of an interactive meaning-construction process involving a researcher, research participants and a context. The research participants were the parents of 14 families; 27 substitute caregivers of 19 children adopted in 10 different countries and who joined their adoptive families at different ages. The objective of this survey was to ascertain whether there were common positive educational strategies in the interviewed families and whether reproducible relational patterns are possible, whether it is possible to understand the quality of the relationships that are created in the family context, in order to identify the remedial processes and strategies implemented by the family unit to overcome the problematic situations that may have arisen in the route to becoming a family. In investigating the effectiveness of the adoptive family, an attempt was made to understand how the community context, the positive resources of people and their environment influenced the route to adoption. Notwithstanding the limitations of this survey, interesting results emerged from the analysis of the data. For example, the conditions that have played a protective role in the family lives of all the subjects involved in the adoption route, from harmony between the partners and in parenting, to the family and friendship/social network, in addition to the positive resources of the people involved. However, the overall results of the qualitative analysis show a more complex picture in which the couple has to face considerable difficulties in solitude, especially in the post-adoption phase. The outcome of the data analysis leads to confirm that the adoptive family is the most favourable environment for the development of the skills and the realization of the potential of the child who was abandoned, but love and parenting are not sufficient to "create" the family and heal the child’s wounds. The adoptive family – a family that is in a state of constant evolution to a greater extent than other families – has a challenging task that is fulfilled over time. The family needs being supported and not to be left alone in the accomplishment of this task, which is also a social one. The research findings show that legislation should also include the well-being of the child and of the family in the ultimate goals of adoption, not just to keep the child safe in a suitable family context, as often is the case. This should be pursued with a view to social justice and with the possible contribution of restorative justice. While not denying how much abandonment can affect the child’s psyche, the look is taken towards the future and focused on how the adoptive family can be the place where this loss can be dealt with and where the child can be helped look for their roots (Pojaghi, 2014) and create new ones.File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14242/194561
URN:NBN:IT:UNIMC-194561