The Adopted Child Syndrome: A Methodological Perspective

Abstract

The term adopted child syndrome has repeatedly surfaced to explain behaviors in adopted children that seem rather uniquely related to their adoptive status. Specifically, these include problems in bonding, attachment disorders, lying, stealing, defiance of authority, and acts of violence. While the term has never achieved total acceptance in the professional community because of the lack of uniform empirical data, many theoreticians believe that the adopted child is in an at-risk group for developing emotional problems in as much as she/he is disproportionately represented in mental health caseloads. The use of this pseudoscientific term, which developed as a selected way to describe severe sociopathic behavior, is deeply flawed in its use of scientific and established methodology. The article identifies deviations from major research principles and operations as they directly relate to the “adopted child syndrome.” Finally, a distinction is made between correlation and causation, a distinction that frequently eludes the practitioner in the field.