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Using Symbolic Interactionism to Model Transitions to Adoptive Parenthood
Author(s) -
Willis Hepp Bethany,
Hrapczynski Katie,
FortnerWood Cheryl
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
journal of family theory and review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.454
H-Index - 17
eISSN - 1756-2589
pISSN - 1756-2570
DOI - 10.1111/jftr.12326
Subject(s) - symbolic interactionism , interactionism , salience (neuroscience) , psychology , social psychology , warrant , extant taxon , meaning (existential) , sociology , epistemology , cognitive psychology , social science , psychotherapist , economics , philosophy , evolutionary biology , financial economics , biology
This article focuses on symbolic interactionism and its utility when applied to adoptive families. We argue that Mead's (1934, 1956) theoretical concepts of self, generalized other, and shared meaning are underutilized tools for exploring prospective parents' decision of whether to adopt, the transition to adoptive parenthood, and subsequent family adjustment over time. We also advocate for the extension of salience to generalized other, in order to better understand and reflect prospective parents' perspectives of and experiences with adoption. We chose symbolic interactionism as a single theoretical framework to unify the extant adoption literature; in doing so, a conceptual model was developed to better illustrate the theoretical principles as they inform decision making and action taking across the transition to adoptive family life. The model posits six specific propositions that warrant further empirical exploration to test and refine its predictive utility.