Cultural Differences and Perceived Belonging During Korean Adoptees' Reunions With Birth Families

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe majority of past research on adoptees' reunions with birth families has focused on domestic adoptees, with little scholarly attention given to the reunions of transnational adoptees despite their large presence in western countries. To address this shortcoming in existing research, the current study explored adult Korean adoptees' reunions with their birth families, focusing on experiences of cultural differences and their perceived impact on relationships with birth family members. Nineteen adult Korean adoptees were interviewed about their reunions and relationships with their Korean birth (a.k.a., first) families. Participants reported cultural differences in family roles and expectations, standards for beauty and femininity, expectations for interactions, and past and present circumstances. These differences were reported to have a range of impacts on participants' subjective sense of belonging with birth families. Whereas some participants experienced estrangement resulting from these differences, others expressed a deep sense of belonging with their birth families. Scholarly and practical implications are discussed.