Some Aspects of Identity Problems in Foster Families

Bibliographic Data

ID2991440
AuthorsThea Sprey-Wessjng (Department of Education, Universty of Koelin, West Germany), Peter Portz (At the time working in the computing center of the University of Koelin, West Germany)
Year1982
Volume13
Issue2
Pages231-235
Publication date1982-08-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Comparative Family Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0047-2328 • E-ISSN: 1929-9850
PublisherUniversity of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.3138/jcfs.13.2.231
OpenAlexW2979397102
LanguageEN
Citations received4

There has been an increasing motivation for foster care and adoption within the last years; foster parents are seen as a positive alternative to home care; furthermore there seems to be a differentiated understanding for "factual parenthood" in public opinion. Nevertheless the social status of a foster child is a problematic one; in addition there is no relevant role script for foster parents at all. These deficits lead to identity problems: the research design, interpretated in this article, is asking for self-concepts to foster parenting. By interrogation of a sample of foster parents, belonging to the "Bundesverband der Pflege-und Adoptiveltern e.V." in Western Germany, the basis of motivation and selfconcepts can be seen more distinctively. In spite of declining numbers of children in home care and increasing places in foster care the chance of identificational continuity will be a great task in future for foster children and parents as well. In general, there is too much administration involved in the matching of foster children and foster parents and too little psychological support concerning identity problems

Developmental psychology · Foster care · Foster parents · Identity (music) · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology · Social and Demographic Issues in Germany · Social Psychology · Sociology and Education Studies

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