Sie sind auf Seite 1von 6

SOCIOLOGICAL IMAGINATION

Carmen Westarp
Sociology 1010
Dan Poole

INTRODUCTION
Sociology is the study of society and human behavior, it observes groups, structure,
function, development and interactions and the Sociological Imagination allows us to
conceptualize how personal behaviors and feelings are entwined with larger societal
issues. In this paper I will employ my Sociological Imagination to observe a group to
which I belong, that group being adoption culture. In this paper my analysis will focus on
the history of adoption and specify my relation to the group. I will then apply the
theoretical perspective of functionalism exploring the concepts of
prejudice/discrimination, stratification and gender.
HISTORY
Adoption is the process in which a person legally assumes the responsibilities of a child
whom they did not give birth to. Adoption has been practiced since ancient times
however it wasnt until 1851 that it began to become a legal process. Various types of
adoption exist today such as:

Public Adoption: Otherwise known as foster care or social services.


Private Domestic Adoption: Arranged through non-profit agencies.
International Adoptions: The adoption of children from other countries
Related Adoptions: Adoption of a relative.

Step-Parent Adoptions: Adoption of a spouses child.

Another constituent of adoption is the practice of adoption openness which refers to the
degree of contact and interaction between birth and adoptive parents both pre and post
placement. In 2007 I lost my job, my boyfriend had gotten me evicted from my
apartment and I had just begun my battle with sobriety. It was shortly after this chain of
events that I discovered I was pregnant. I spent months weighing out my options and
defining the pros and cons ultimately coming to the decision that adoption was the best
course of action to take in regards to the best interest, health and safety for both my
child and myself. I sought out a private domestic adoption agency to help my in the
adoption process. The agency I chose allowed me to have soul control in the placement
process, I spent my days analyzing families. Three months before the birth of my
daughter I finally made the decision of which family I would place my daughter. I picked
the family that I did based on economic stability, infertility issues, geography, family size,
age and religious ideology. The adoptive mother is a piano teacher and the father a car
salesmen, they live in a nice house in a community with low crime rates, they have one
other son and belong to a religious group while remaining open-minded, the adoptive
parents had tried for 4 years to have another child without success due to the mothers
polycystic fibrosis, an ovary syndrome affecting hormone levels and ovulation. I began
my relationship with the family prior to the birth of my daughter as I moved in with them
for the remainder of my pregnancy. During this time we developed an intimate
relationship that employed mutual respect, understanding, empathy and endearment.
Gaining this relationship made the adoption processes much easier for everyone.
Several days after giving birth to my daughter we met at the agency where I legally
signed my rights over. We both agreed to an open adoption however our adoption is

much more open than what society views an adoptions to be. Our families get together
for holidays, we call and text each other from time to time, we are even friends on
Facebook and for us this is normal.
FUNCTIONALISIM AND ADOPTION
Functionalism is explained in terms of function preformed such as the contributions
made to society. In regards to family itself functionalism views them to perform various
paramount functions which have been identified as reproduction,
Protection, socialization, regulation of social behavior, affection and companionship,
and the provision of social status. There are constituents of adoption which support
these functions and restore balance and order within society. Adoption provides children
with homes that fulfill their
physiological and safety
needs as well as the need
for affection. It maintains
social order as it allows

those who are missing


children from their
family unit to have the
opportunity to restore
the units function

through adopting a child and furthermore the opportunity for children to be placed within
stable family structures increasing the success of their primary socialization and
regulation of behavior. In regards to myself on an individual level adoption produced
manifest functions as it allowed me to place my child in a situation which I felt to be
better, it prevented my child from living within a single parent-household alleviating the
risk of inadequate parental attention, it prevented my child from being raised in a family
with a low socioeconomic status. Adoption allowed me to restore order to the family
function as it placed her within an environment that was better suited to provide her with
the paramount functions which I could not.
PREJUDICE/DISCRIMINATION
In being a part of adoption culture which in my opinion is a minority group I have faced
prejudice and discrimination towards me in regards to my choice. I have been accused
of avoiding my responsibilities and abandoning my child. I conclude that possible
reason that might influence this behavior towards me is age as I placed my daughter for
adoption at age 18, generally it is younger women who place children for adoption, I
believe that another reason might be cultural norms as the majority of prejudice and
discrimination towards me was from groups who had strong connections to family both
intermediate and extended. Adoptive families are also viewed by some to be
dysfunctional as they are pieced together and thus not viewed as meeting the
paramount functions of a family. Additionally open adoption are also open to criticism as
does fit within general norms. I have received my share of strange glances from people
as Ive shared my relationship with my daughters adoptive family. Even those within this
culture view my circumstances to be out of the ordinary.

STRATIFICATION
In this culture social stratification plays a dominate role and influence. As generally
those who place children for adoption are single women recognized as having a lower
to underclass status and lacking social mobility. The reason that women who face these
inequalities place children for adoption is diverse but often some of these characteristics
do have some impact in the adoption process. In my adoption process my lack of a job,
lack of a supportive partner, unstable housing conditions and struggle with sobriety were
major influences as I felt incapable of adequately providing for my child not to mention a
lack of health care. Those who adopt children are most often comprised of nuclear
families belonging to the lower middle class status and up they adopt not only because
they want but also because the possess means and advantages which make them
capable of doing so.
RACE ETHINTICITY
In my experience in with this group I have noticed a lack of diversity in race, within the
agency and in my encounters with adoptive families I have generally noticed a trend in a
majority of the children being placed being of Caucasian descent. I attribute this to
differing cultural values as well as norms. As I have never truly identified with my
Hispanic culture the values and norms held by my race.
CONCLUSION
This analysis opened my eyes
to how discrimination,
stratification and race
ethnicity have major impacts

on adoption while I had generally realized that these were factors in both the deterrence
and promotion of the adoption process I had never really reflected on why. I realize that
culture plays one of the most fundamental roles in how one views this process it also
plays a role in the participation of it.

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen