Adoption

Abstract

Adoption is a noun form of the verb adopt, which comes from the Latin verb adoptāre, meaning “to choose for oneself.” We chose to define adoption as a way of becoming a parent and, more specifically, the so-called legal adoption. However, over time and in communities that are more isolated from the dominant collective culture, as in so-called traditional communities (e.g., indigenous, African-based, etc.), spontaneous adoptions occur, guided by community cultural practices, without any state intervention, and this phenomenon can be designated as the circulation of children, in which neighbors, relatives, and, at times, the entire community take care of that child or children in general. It is important to point out that all the ways of conceiving adoption depend on the dominant perspectives both on the child’s place in society and on the relationship of adults to them. Thus, we emphasize that this concept is changeable over time and in emerging contexts. Legal adoption designates a way of becoming parents that is available for that purpose and under the responsibility of the state. Adoption is a way of forming a family that is increasingly on the rise, having gained visibility in several countries in recent decades. Children and adolescents eligible for adoption are always victims of abandonment, neglect, psychological and physical abuse, and even wars or natural disasters. This modality of family construction is crossed by sociocultural and psychological aspects, both for the adoptees and the adopters. Legal adoption requires adopters not only show affection but compliance with the legal procedures required in each nation. In the broad sense, adoption defines the spontaneous acceptance of people, animals, social causes, etc., which can lead a person to always act in defense, or militancy, of what was adopted by him. We will address adoption to the studies of the possible as an alternative resulting from the dialogue established between the dominant and nondominant perspectives, in the context of building parenting.