A Comparative Study of Adoptive and Biological Parents’ Personality

Characteristics and view on Adoption.

Shezil Tauseef
Institute of Business Management

I have adhered to university policy regarding academic honesty in completing this

assignment

Submitted to Dr. Syed Shameem Ejaz on behalf of the Institute of Business

Management
in partial fulfilment of the degree requirements
for the M.Phil. Organizational Psychology
1st semester Year 1
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ADOPTIVE AND BIOLOGICAL PARENTS

Table of content

Abstract……………………………………………………………………………………...3
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………4
Methods……………………………………………………………………………………..21
Limitations………………………………………………………………………………….26
Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………......27
Glossary…………………………………………………………………………..…………28
Appendix A………………………………………………………………………………….30
Appendix B………………………………………………………………………………......32
Appendix C………………………………………………………………………………….33
References…………………………………………………………………………………...34
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ADOPTIVE AND BIOLOGICAL PARENTS

Abstract

The research paper is aimed at exploring and understanding the differences between the

personality attributes of adoptive parents and how they differ from biological parents. In order

to have a better insight of their varying personalities, two more areas of concern were also

examined, whether there will be a difference of personality among the genders belonging from

both the groups, i.e., how adoptive mothers would differ from biological mothers and how

adoptive fathers would differ from biological fathers. Another aspect of interest was the

possible inclination of an adoptive parent towards adopting a particular gender of a child, and

the guiding reasons behind it. In order to find answers, 40 couples (N= 80) were approached,

20 adoptive couples (N=40) and 20 biological (N=40). The Big Five Inventory (BFI) was used

as a measurement tool to evaluate personality on the five OCEAN factors; Openness,

Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism. Results were obtained by

comparing the mean scores for every personality facet among each group, which proved to be

insignificant. However, it was concluded that the gender of the child a parent may choose to

adopt, can be affected by their personality.

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Introduction

Adoption is the process of legally taking the parental rights of a child from its biological

parents, and in doing so assuming all the responsibilities for that child.

One of the cultural dimensions given by Hofstede (2011) is individualism/collectivism

describing the extent to which individuals in a nation are integrated into groups. Pakistan as a

society is collectivist in nature (Latif, 2015). Family bonds, values, and relationships are of

utmost important, and sacred to the people of Pakistan. Kinship is a concept of its own, and is

embedded deep into the minds of Pakistanis. Though not everyone believes that a family is

complete solely because of blood relationships, many are opposed to the idea of welcoming a

stranger as a child of the family, therefore, second marriages are preferred over the idea of

adoption if the woman is unable to conceive or give the family a male heir (Sami, & Ali, 2006)

Adoption is still a stigma in the Pakistani society, and requires massive effort on part

of the couples to convince their respective families that an adopted child is no different from a

biological child if you love and care for them the same way; in fact research has indicated that

there are more similarities than differences in the dynamic of an adoptive and non-adoptive

family, for instance there similar levels of warmth, supportive communication and parental

control were found in both the families (Rueter, Keyes, Iacono, & McGue, 2009), along with

similarities in life satisfaction, life regrets, purpose in life, intimacy, and substance abuse

compared to the differences like connectedness, depression, self-esteem (Borders, Penny,

Portnoy, 2000). A research indicated that adoption is considered the ‘second best way of

parenthood making adoptive parents not ‘real parents’, and consider biological children better

than adopted ones because of their unknown genetic past (Miall 1987).
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In a traditional Pakistani society decisions of the number of children to have are largely

impacted by the mother in law and the husband, however if the woman has had a say in the

selection of her spouse then intercommunication between the couple is better, therefore, the

women under these circumstance have a say in how many children they want, adoption, and

use of contraceptives (Hamid, Stephenson, & Rubenson, 2011). While in western countries like

America, adoption is preferred over biological children, and the demand for adopted children

surpass the supply of children available of adoption. This gap in supply and demand was

managed by the high trend of inter-country adoption (Bernal, Hu, Moriguchi, & Nagypal,

2007).

Pakistan follows the Islamic Shariah (set of laws and procedures in accordance with

Islam), hence, the concept of adoption in Pakistan is known as Kafala; which means

sponsorship. Under the laws of Kafala laid down by Islam in the Quran, the rights of the birth

parents are not terminated, the child’s inheritance from the birth parents is the child’s basic

right, the adoptive parents cannot change the name of the child or the surname. The Quran

33:4-5 says ‘…nor has he made your adopted son your son. Such is (only) your (manner of

speech) by your mouths. But Allah tells (you) the truth and he shows the (right) way. Call them

by their fathers: that is juster in the sight of Allah. But if ye know not their fathers names, (then

they are) your brothers in faith, or your friends but there is no blame on you if ye make a

mistake therein: (what counts is) the intention of your hearts: and Allah is oft-forgiving, most

merciful’. The Holy Prophet PBUH himself was an orphan and grew up under the guidance of

his grandfather and uncle. To which the Quran 93:6 says ‘Did He not find thee an orphan and

gave the shelter?’

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Pakistan thus governs the custody of children under the Guardians and Wards 1890

which is the closest law that relates to Kafala. The act enables an individual to become a legal

guardian of the child and in some cases its property, but the child has no right over the guardian

inheritance. The process to attain the guardianship of a child according to the judicial system

of Pakistan states that the applicant first must seek a guardianship order in respect of the child

they wish to be a guardian of and as a first step, will be assessed by Deputy Commissioner

(government officials). The assessment includes home study report, references, and an

assessment for their eligibility and suitability to provide an atmosphere for the child likely to

benefit and safeguard its welfare. If approved the child will move in with the guardians. If the

child’s parents are known to the authorities, and the applicants wish to ‘adopt’, then they will

have to enter into an irrevocable, bilateral, intra-familial agreement in writing in which the

birth parent/s clearly waive any right to reclaim their child. (O’Halloran, 2009)

The Hague convention of 1993 is an international treaty regulating and guiding the legal

framework of inter country adoption. The convention has been ratified by 83 countries, but

Pakistan isn’t one of them. Kafala is seen as a problem in countries like Canada where Muslim

or Pakistani parents wish to adopt kids from Pakistan to stick to their roots. In 2013 the

Canadian government banned intercountry adoption from Pakistan stating Kafala as an issue.

Regarding the ban, a Canadian immigration spokesman said “Legal and procedural

requirements to obtain a guardianship certificate under Pakistan’s Guardians and Wards Act

do not allow for subsequent adoption in the guardian’s country of residence. Pakistan applies

the Islamic system of Kafala, or guardianship, which neither terminates the birth parent-child

relationship nor grants full parental rights to the new guardian. This means that there are further

legal incompatibilities in accepting Canadian applications for adoption.”

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There has been a fair amount of research dedicated on adoption, its types, and the

policies regarding it. International adoption can have its own issues. Loss is big factor in

intercountry adoption. This may include the loss of birth parents and of other family ties, of

siblings (if any), of genetic and health information, of country of origin, of first language and

of cultural heritage, etc (J. Johnstone, 2007). International adoptees also suffer from growth

and developmental issues (Miller, & Hendrie, 2000). Language development and abilities of

internationally adopted children have been under speculation by many researchers, as it has

been shown that children adopted by parents who speak a different language than the adoptees

score low on tests of receptive grammar, expressive vocabulary and sentence recall regardless

of the length exposure to the adoption language (Delcenserie, Genesee, & Gauthier, 2010;

Gauthier, & Geneese, 2011), However, low scores on language ability compared to their non-

adoptive counterparts has also seen to be effected by the age at which the children were

adopted, that is the younger they are the time of adoption the better their performance (Miller

& Hendrie, 2000), yet not all research support this as Krakow, Tao and Roberts (2005) found

that children who were older at the time of adoption had faster progress in acquiring the

language in comparison to younger children. Low scores on language ability maybe a result of

their pre-adoption environmental circumstances (Meacham, 2006).

Internationally adopted children who were previously institutionalized have been a

subject of researches too, as it has been said and shown that some post institutionalized

adoptees display socioemotional difficulties in the form of unusual lack of social reserve with

unfamiliar adults (Bruce, Tarullo, & Gunnar, 2009) Early institutionalized rearing also showed

attention and social problems in those children (Gunnar, & Dulmen, 2007). While research

shows that institutionalization plays somewhat of an important role in the future of adopted

children, it is also believed that post adoptive circumstances play an important role too; as both
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these factors contribute to the recovery from physical growth retardation, cognitive delay, and

socioemotional problem for the adopted children (Gunnar, Bruce, & Grotevant, 2000).

The mental health of International adoptees has been studied often, researches have

shown that internationally adopted kids are referred to mental health professional’s more than

non-adoptive kids (Juffer, Van, Jzendoorn, 2005). However, one study showed that

internationally adopted children compared to non-adopted children in Sweden had good mental

health and self-esteem (Cederblad, Höök, Irhammar, & Mercke, 1999). Internationally adopted

kids were identified as having more hyperactivity symptoms by their parents, while also having

a clinician’s diagnosis (Jerome, 1993). In regards to their mental health, the age at which the

children were adopted was less important than the pre-adoptive conditions faced by the adopted

children, which can’t be said for behavioural problems displayed by internationally adopted

kids, as one study indicated that those children adopted after 24 months of age tend to have

higher rates behavioural problems (Gunnar, & Dulmen, 2007), while another study also

indicated that children adopted at an earlier age were considered to be more hyperactive by

their parents than those adopted at a later age. The late adoptees, however showed impairment

on psychometric testing than those adopted early, and those placed before six months of age

(Jerome, 1993).

Disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED) and Reactive attachment disorder

(RAD) are two disorders that have frequently been studied in adoption. DSED is classified as

pattern of behaviour in which a child actively approaches and interacts with unfamiliar adults.

RAD is classified as a consistent pattern of inhibited, emotionally withdrawn, behaviour toward

adult caregivers. Both the disorders include inadequate care in childhood as a criteria, and fall

under the Trauma- and stress related disorders category (American Psychiatric Association
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2013). A study concluded that internationally adopted kids displayed more disinhibited social

behaviour than non-adopted kids, and this was impacted by the length of time the adopted kids

were institutionalized; however, the presence of social disinhibited behaviour did not

significantly correlated with general cognitive ability, attachment-related behaviours, or basic

emotion abilities (Bruce, Tarullo, & Gunnar, 2009). Symptoms of RAD in adopted children

are associated with learning difficulties (Raaska, Elovainio, Sinkkonen, Matomäki, Mäkipää,

& Lapinleimu, 2012)

The process of adoption is a rocky road, and may affect both the adopted child and the

adoptive parent. It has been well documented that adopted children are at a higher risk of

developing emotional and school related problems (Brodinzsky et al., 1984), though their IQ

did not differ from non-adopted children, they lagged behind in school performances (Van

Ijzendoorn, , Juffer, & Poelhuis, 2005) and had more learning difficulties (Silver, 1989).

Adopted children previously institutionalised have scored lower on tests of cognitive

development at age four (Vorria et al., 2006), however another study found that adopted

children previously institutionalised had the highest mean IQ and reading achievement at age

eight (Tizard, & Hodges, 1978)

Researches on behaviour of adoptive children have shown that behavioural problems

are more common in adopted children (Hodges, & Tizard, 1989). Adolescent children adopted

when they were babies, and children adopted when they were old but had adverse care as babies

tend to display more behavioural problems (Howe, (1997), they also tend to have more

attention difficulties and aggressive behaviour (Rosnati, Montirosso, & Barni, 2008). It has

also been found that adopted children tend to externalize behaviour more; that is their problems

are manifested in an outward behaviour and displays a negative behaviour towards the external
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world (Eisenberg et al., 2001). Institutionalisation plays a role in the negative behaviour

outcome of the adopted children (MacLean, 2003). However a recent study indicated that when

influential cases were removed the significant difference found amongst adopted, foster, and

non-adopted children were reduced. It also showed that the patterns of behavioural problems

of adopted children were similar to the non-adopted children. (Brand, & Brinich, 1999), and

that adoptees show more prosocial behaviour (Sharma, 1996)

It has been shown that adopted children are overrepresented in mental health settings

(Ingersoll, 1997); a study over the period of 14 years found the representation of adoption

children doubled than what it was initially (Jerome, 1986). Gender plays a role in the mental

health of children who are adopted, for boys adoption is a significant marker for psychiatric

disorder and poor school performance; adoption in adolescent girls was a significant marker

for substance use (Ellen, 1992). Adopted children tend to have more disorder than non-adopted

children, the likes being conduct problems, personality problems, and socialized delinquency.

The non-adopted children saw an increase and then a decline in these problems from

kindergarten till eighth grade, but adopted children saw an increase throughout (Lindholm, &

Touliatos, 1980). Yet there are some researchers who show that one has to be critical of the

one sided picture of adopted children in mental health setting, such as Borders, Black, & Pasley

(1998) who revealed from their study that adoptive children and parents are not always at a

greater risk for negative outcomes.

Attachment of adopted children with their respective adoptive parents along with its

effects has been a topic of interest for researchers. Attachment theory states a child, when under

perceived or actual stress would want to maintain a proximity to its attachment figure.

Behaviours of every may vary but the goal would remain the same. Therefore, the strategies
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used by the child would then classify him/her attachment patterns either as secure, insecure

(avoidant or ambivalent), or insecure-disorganized. Children with a secure attachment pattern

tend to seek comfort when distressed, and are easily comforted. While, those who have an

insecure style of attachment tend to be resistant or avoid comfort seeking (Ainsworth, Blehar,

Waters, & Wall, 2014). Adopted children are also hypothesized to have insecure attachment

styles due to prior institutionalised care, a study indicated that at four years of age adoptees

were less secure, and those adopted children who had a secure attachment style in infancy were

found to be less secure at age four, than those who were classified as insecure in infancy (Vorria

et al,. 2006). A recent study showed that children adopted before 12 months were securely

attached, similar to their non-adopted peers. However, those adopted after their first birthday

showed less attachment security than non-adopted children (van den Dries, Juffer, van

IJzendoorn, Bakermans-Kranenburg, 2009). It has been speculated that psychological

problems faced by adopted children in middle childhood and adolescence may be explained

because of the insecure style of attachment developed in infancy, but research didn’t support

the explanation (Singer, Brodzinsky, Douglas, Steir & Waters, 1985)

Adoptive parents are equally important in their role in the family dynamics and

therefore, have been a subject of study throughout. The ecological theory (Bronfenbenner,

1994) states that human development is a complex and reciprocal interaction between an

individual and its immediate environment for a lasting period of time to be effective. This is

known as a proximal process, and the parent-child relationship is one of the examples. Under

the same theory Parents play a vital role as they have direct impact on the child’s development.

Therefore, the most important source for an adopted child should be their adopted parents. The

attachment style of adoptive mothers has a significant impact on the style of attachment of

children at an older age; that is older adoptees showed a transition from insecure to secure
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attachment pattern, when, their respective adoptive mothers also had a secure attachment style

(Pace & Zavattini, 2011).

Adoptive parents are perceived to be more supportive but controlling, and difference

have been found in how the family dynamics of an adoptive family function and the behaviours

of fathers. International adoptive parents were more involved with the children, and had a more

problem focused coping system (Levy-Shiff, Zoran, &Shulman, 1997).Since it is more likely

that adopted children have poorer health compared to biological children, their parents take

more preventive measures in ensuring that the adoptive children have the health care needed

and a supportive environment (Bramlett, Radel, &Blumberg, 2007). Mothers who have

adopted children from another race tend to feel less support from extended family and friends

regarding their decision to adopt, and are less comfortable with other caring for their babies.

(Singer, Brodzinsky, Ramsay, Steir & Waters, 1985). Adoption isn’t the first choice for most

couples, as 95% of newlywed couples expect and want to have a child of their own (Glick,

1977). Infertility maybe a major factor contributing to the choice of adoption. Having sought

treatment for infertility, and being childless contributes to the choice of adoption

(Hollingsworth, 2008). Dealing with the loss of fertility, prospects of having a new born baby,

and identifying them as adoptive parents rather than biological parents are one of the many

problems to be dealt by prospective adoptive parents (Schooler & Norris, 2002; Daly, 1988),

infertility then effect the self-image of the couples in a problematic way (Shapiro, 1982). Yet,

there have been researchers contradicting this claim, showing that the quality of life, marital

status of infertile couples is higher, and self-esteem along with contentment increases over time

(Onat & Beji, 2012; Hirsch, & Hirsch, 1995). Men are more likely than woman to link

fatherhood with masculinity (Humphrey, 2016), therefore the loss of fertility may create

problems in their sense of masculinity (Shapiro, 1982).

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It was found that adoptive parents tend to be more educated and with higher incomes

levels on an average scale (Bachrach, 1983). Regarding the education of the adoptive parents,

it was found that the adoptive mother’s education is an important factor in determining the

health of the adopted child (Chen & Li, 2009). To check the genetic and environmental effects

of parental education in children’s verbal intelligence, a study compared biological families

with adoptive families and found that the mother-child and father-child correlations in

biological families were .41 and .36, respectively, compared to .16 and .18 in adoptive families,

concluding that environment has a modest shared effect on children’s verbal intelligence

(Neiss, & Rowe, 2000). Lastly, education, income, and age of adoptive parents was linked to

good adjustment of the adoptive child. This level of adjustment was associated with both the

parents having completed high school, the father having a non-manual occupation, and an

above median income, and the mother being under 30 years of age (Kraus, 1978)

There has been numerous amount of research on the adoptive and adopted children.

The effects it has and preventive measure taken by governments to ensure the safety of the

children adopted. However, there is little material on the personality characteristics of adoptive

parents.

Personality is a topic that has been studied for thousands of years now, and perhaps the

earliest form of personality theory was given by Hippocrates, a Greek philosopher also known

as the father of medicine. He theorized that there are four temperaments each determined by

four bodily fluids; sanguine linked to blood, melancholic linked to black bile, choleric linked

to yellow bile, and phlegmatic linked to phlegm. The quantity of each determines an

individual’s personality. Following his theory, many other philosophers developed their own

theories, many of which can be seen in modern day theories used by psychologist all around
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the world. One such notable theory was given by Plato who believed, that an adults character

is shaped in childhood through the care and instruction it receives from its parents and teacher.

The essence of what Plato said can be found in theories of Freud who believed that an

individual’s personality is shaped in childhood, where the five psychosexual stage of

development play a key role. Successfully passing the obstacles faced in each stage leads to

better psychic development, and unsuccessful attempts leas to a fixation on that stage that has

lasting effects. (Durmont, 2010)

The first stage of psychosexual development is the Oral stage, whereby the infant sucks

on the mothers breast, and that is the child’s source of gratification. The second stage is the

Anal stage, where the child learns to control his bowel movements, and the erogenous zone

thus is the anal region. The child receives gratification from the release of waste from the body.

The third stage is the Phallic stage where the child becomes aware of the anatomical differences

between the two sexes, and masturbation becomes the source of gratification. The fourth stage

is the latency stage, in this stage the child’s libido is dormant, and all the sexual energy is

suppressed and expended into other things like school, and play. The last stage is the genital

stage which begins at puberty, and the source of gratification becomes relationships formed

with the opposite sex. (Durmont, 2010)

For centuries now personality has been a subject of interest for psychologist who seek

to understand individuals. Over the last few decades trait theories have earned the attention of

psychologists, and multiple theories have been developed under the umbrella of trait theories.

The most commonly used trait theory nowadays is the five factor model. The model integrates

thousands of traits into 5 dimensions indicating that individuals have all five present in them

but on varying levels. The five dimensions are classifies as OCEAN (Openness to Experience,
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Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism), (McCrae & Costa Jr,

1999).

Openness to experience refers to an individual who is intellectually curious, inventive,

and creative. Therefore this dimensions other end includes an individual who is shallow,

imperceptive, cautious, and consistent. Individuals with high scores prefer novelty, while those

with low score prefer a routine. Conscientiousness contrasts traits such as organized,

thoughtfulness, hardworking, and dependable with traits like spontaneity, relaxed, and

disorganized. Individuals high on this dimension tend to plan things ahead and are more

structured compared to low scorers. Extraversion refers to the extent to which an individual is

gregarious, therefore this factors determines whether an individual is outgoing, talkative, social

and excitement seeking; or prefers solitude, smaller groups of people, enjoys quite time and

doesn’t necessarily enjoy large crowds. Individuals with high score on this dimension gain

energy from social interaction, while those with a low score get stimulation from being alone.

Agreeableness contrasts traits such as warmth, friendliness, and trust with traits such as

hostility, vigilance, and being cold. Individuals with high score on this dimension are

compassionate while those with low scores are unfriendly. Neuroticism refers to the emotional

stability of an individual therefore the spectrums one end consists of traits such as being

prevaricate, nervousness, and impulsivity while the other consists of traits such as being calm,

joyous, and even-tempered. Individuals with high score on this dimension are prone to be

emotionally unstable, and prone to negative emotions, while those with low scores tend to be

more secure, and calm. (McCrae & Costa Jr, 1999).

The five factor model has been utilized in studying the effects of personality on

parenting. An analysis of thirty studies showed that higher levels of Openness,

Conscientiousness, Extraversions, Agreeableness and lower of Neuroticism were linked the

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parental behaviour of warmth and behavioural control. While high levels of Agreeableness and

Neuroticism are linked with high autonomy support (Prinzie, Stams, Deković, Reijntjes, &

Belsky, 2009). Extraversion played a larger role in predicting behaviours of fathers than of

mothers, and Agreeableness played a larger role in predicting the behaviours of maternal

behaviours. Neuroticism was the most consistent predictor of parenting (Belsky, Crnic, &

Woodworth, 1995). ); Neuroticism in mothers has also been linked to depression in offspring

during adulthood (Ono et al, 2017). Mothers high in Neuroticism reported more power

assertion (Kochanska, Kim, & Nordling, 2012). In terms of Openness to new experiences,

parents who scored low on the dimension were more protective, whereas Conscientiousness

and parenting had no correlation (Spinath & O'Connor, 2003). A research studied parental

personality, specifically in terms of conscientiousness, agreeableness and emotional stability

on three different occasions, and was able to predict similar personality patterns in 12th graders

(Schofield, 2008). A study designed to evoke parental discipline found that parents high on the

scale of neuroticism engaged in more power assertion behaviour (Kochanska, Aksan, &

Nichols, 2003). In mothers raising difficult children, increased power assertion was linked to

Extraversion, and higher Conscientiousness was link to lower power assertion (Kochanska,

Kim, & Nordling, 2012).

A lot of the research has been dedicated to parenting other than personality. In regards

to parenting style it is important to understand the styles of parenting. Baumrind (1967) gave

three styles of parenting; Authoritarian, Permissive, and Authoritative. Authoritarian parents

are what are known as very strict parents as they expect obedience, conformity, and respect for

authority, and they show relatively little affection or support. Permissive parents are very

lenient and give a lot of independence to their children; that is, they set few demands for the

child and do not enforce rules, but are warm and accepting. Authoritative parents are just the
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right balance of the other two styles of parenting. A study indicates that permissive and

authoritarian parenting style led to personality disorders in the children during the adult phase

of their life. (Batool, Shehzadi, Riaz, & Riaz, 2005).Permissive style of parenting is also linked

with mother who have experienced sexual abuse in their childhood (DiLillo & Damashek,

2016). Parenting styles can have an impact on the child’s school performance too. A study

found that both authoritarian and permissive parenting styles were negatively associated with

grades, and authoritative parenting was positively associated with grades (Dornbusch, Ritter,

Leiderman, Roberts & Fraleigh, 1987). A study in Malaysia to find out the style of parenting

preferred in collectivist society showed preference for authoritarian style of parenting

(Keshavarz & Baharudin, 2009)

The age at which a couple becomes parents has been a matter of curiosity for

researchers too, and it is shown that fathering a child between the age of 30 and 39 may be

related to higher affective quality of fathering (Finley, 1998). Becoming a parent at a later age,

and high socio-economic status has also been liked to lower levels of harsh parenting, and high

levels of positive parenting (Trentacosta et al, 2010). Maternal depression increases the rates

of the children’s development of disorders, while those mothers who are in remission tend to

have a positive effect on their child and themselves (Weissman et al., 2006).

Mothers who had been a subject of abuse in childhood showed decreased responsivity

towards their children, and an increased propensity for abusive behaviour (Bert, Guner &,

Lanzi, 2009), Hence, parents who were subject to even just one incident of abuse were more

likely to be abusive than other parents (Pears & Capaldi, 2001). More so, individuals who

experienced physical abuse before they reached puberty had higher abuse scores, meaning that

such individuals are more prone to engage in abusive acts than those who experienced abuse
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after puberty (Milner, Robertson, & Rogers, 1990). It is important to note that parents with a

history of abuse aren’t the only ones who show potential to abuse their children, but also those

who have had a history of substance use, are also prone to such behaviours (Ammerman, Kolko,

Kirisci, Blackson, Dawes, 1999). Lastly adolescent mother with history of abuse showed higher

potential for child abuse and higher scores on depression compared to adult mother with history

of abuse (Paul & Domenech, 2000)

Parenting itself, and combined with personality has been studied by researchers time

and again. Yet, there is little material available on the personality characteristics of adoptive

parents. Adoption as a phenomena has been studied by researchers all over the world, mainly

to study the effects it has on the parties involved in the process, namely the parents who seek

to adopt and the child who is being adopted. Therefore, the current research doesn’t seek to

study the effects of adoption, but the phenomena of adoption itself in relation to the personality

characteristics of the adoptive parents. To do so, the five factor theory of personality was

utilized as the base to understand the personality of adoptive and biological parents, and to see

whether personality of individual’s plays a role in the decision to adopt a child; and the gender

of the child they adopt.

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• openeness to • age
experience TYPE OF PARENTS
• Socioeconom
• Conscientiousne ic status
ss • gender of the
• Extraversion child adopted
• Agreeableness • education
• Adoptive
• Neuroticism • income
• Biological
• family type
(joint/nuclear
FIVE FACTORS(OCEAN) )
& Interivew
FACTOR THAT CONTRIBUTE
ALONG WITH PERSONALITY.

The model above states that the five dimensions of personality will classify both

adoptive parents and biological parents separately. Their personality will contribute to the

decision to adopt, with reference to the age they adopted a child, their socioeconomic status,

the gender of the child they adopted, their education, income level, and the type of family

structure they have –nuclear or joint. Since this study aims to help better understand as to why

couples adopt, three hypothesis were generated.

The first hypothesis states that there will be a significant difference in the personality

characteristics of adoptive and biological parents.

The second hypothesis states that there will be a significant difference between the

personality characteristics of adoptive fathers and biological father, and between adoptive

mother biological mothers.

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The third hypothesis states that the personality characteristics of adoptive parents will

be significantly from one another depending on the gender of the child they choose to adopt.

That is, adoptive fathers who choose to adopt a girl will have different personality

characteristics from those adoptive fathers who choose to adopt a boy. And the personality

characteristics of adoptive mothers who choose to adopt a girl will be different from adoptive

mothers who choose to adopt a boy.

The fourth hypothesis states, that there will be a significant difference between about

the view of adoption between adoptive and biological parents, mostly in regards to society.
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Methods

Research Design:

This study will be a Qualitative research for which a survey research design and case study will

be used. The study is correlational and inferential. Purposive sampling will be done to select

the participants as this study requires couples who have adopted.

Participants:

The research sample will include 40 married couples (20 biological parents and 20 adoptive

parents) from the population of Karachi, Pakistan. There will be a total of 80 participants (40

males and 40 females) mostly from the middle socioeconomic class with minimum education

of graduation, and live in a nuclear family with age ranging from 20-60 years.

Exclusion criteria: For this study, no single parents will be taken, those that are biological and

adoptive participants. Also participants other than Pakistan or even Karachi will be excluded.

Age, demographics or education are a criterion.

Inclusion criteria: For this study, only the couples who ae married and have biological or

adoptive children will be selected. Belonging to the city of Karachi, Pakistan.

Measures:

Consent Form: Consent will be taken from all 100 participants to assure that they are

participating in this study with all their will and can withdraw from the study if they want to.

Demographic Information will be taken from the participants to know the basic information of

all participants. Information includes participants name, age, education, socioeconomic class

and their family structure (joint/nuclear family).

Big Five Inventory (BFI): A 44-item inventory that measured an individual on the Big Five

Factors (dimensions) of personality that is OCEAN which stands for openness,

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ADOPTIVE AND BIOLOGICAL PARENTS

conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism (Goldberg, 1993). Each of the

factors are then further divided into personality facets.

Case Study: An in depth interview will be conducted with all the couples regarding their

perceptions on adoption, why they chose to adopt and not adopt, what problems they

face/would have faced during adoption, what do they believe is the future of adoptive kids in

Pakistan, and most importantly is the adoption hidden/would be hidden from society.

The reliability of BFI-44 items was measured by Rammstedt and John in the year 2007

is a retest reliability with a significant value of 0.84 along with convergent validity (0.78) and

external validity. BFI is generally used for the population of adults (male and female) to

identify their personality traits. The test was standardized in America in the 1999 by John and

Srivastava.

The interviews will be thematically analysed to discover factors such as religion, society

and culture, or any other unidentified pattern that may appear. The content of what the

participants choose to disclose would be measured in terms of their experiences, the words they

use to describe those experiences and how the adoption matter had an impact on their emotional

being and the overall intensity of the problems they may have faced.

Procedure:

This study covers a massive area to get the perspective about adoption. The mediums chosen

for filling the forms is in person. The Big Five Inventory (BFI) will be given to the parents to

understand their personality traits. The purpose of the study was to determine the mind-set

about adoption, and to investigate the dominant personality traits of couples that lead towards

adoption; and compare them from those who are biological parents.

Stage 1:
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ADOPTIVE AND BIOLOGICAL PARENTS

The information of Big Five Inventory Questionnaire is available online, and to get full access

of the test the permission has been taken via mail therefore, the scoring procedure and test has

been provided. The questionnaire will be converted to a word document so that it would be

convenient for the participants to fill out the form.

Stage 2:

For the identification of the couples; adoptive couples will be sourced as they are the core of

the study and then biological couples will be looked for. The will then be contacted couples to

for a brief introduction about the study that it is being conducted in order to get their consent to

participate in this study.

Stage 3:

The place will peaceful and free from any sort of disturbance. Their consent will be

taken which is an agreement between participants and researchers to assure the couples of their

confidentiality. After the full consent of the couples the participants will

be given guidelines that in any point of time they can back off from the research as that is their

right.

Stage 4:

The self-report inventory questionnaire that is the Big Five Inventory will be given

to all the participants. Estimated time will be 30 minutes.

Stage 5:

After the completion of the test, the participants will be asked a series of question for the

purpose of the case study

Operational Definitions:

• Personality traits:
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ADOPTIVE AND BIOLOGICAL PARENTS

According to the online free dictionary the personality traits are

the enduring pattern of perceiving, communicating, and thinking about oneself, others and the

environment that is exhibited in multiple contexts. To measure the big five traits in adoptive

and biological couples, Big Five Inventory questionnaire was administered.

Big Five traits (OCEAN):

• Openness:

The journal Frontiers in Psychology described openness as “Openness reflects imagination,

creativity, intellectual curiosity, and appreciation of aesthetic experiences. Broadly, Openness

relates to the ability and interest in attending to and processing complex stimuli.” (Weisberg,

DeYoung and Hirsh, 2011). It can be measure from item number 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, 40,

41, and 44 on the BFI-44 item questionnaire.

• Conscientiousness:

Is a tendency to respond in a certain way under certain circumstances (Roberts Brent W. and

Jackson 2009) or it is the tendency to think, feel, and behave in a relatively enduring and

consistent manner across time in trait-affording situations. Conscientiousness can be measure

on BFI- 44 item questionnaire from item number 3, 8, 13, 18, 23, 28, 33, 38, and 43. It may

reflect a person’s trait of being careful, organized and responsible.

• Extraversion:

Psychologist Dr. John A. Johnson of Pennsylvania State University defined extravert people

full of energy, and people who often experience positive emotions. They tend to be enthusiastic,

action-oriented, individuals who are likely to say yes to opportunities for excitement. In groups

they like to talk, assert themselves, and draw attention to themselves. To measure this facet on

BFI, item numbers 1, 6, 11, 16, 21, 26, 31 and 36 are noted. Extraversion refers the extent to

which a person is sociable, talkative, lively, active, and excitable.

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ADOPTIVE AND BIOLOGICAL PARENTS

• Agreeableness:

Agreeableness reflects individual differences in concern with cooperation and social harmony.

Individuals’ value getting along with others. They are therefore considerate, friendly,

generous, helpful, and willing to compromise their interests with others'. Agreeable people also

have an optimistic view of human nature. They believe people are basically honest, decent, and

trustworthy. This aspect could be determined through item number 2, 7, 12, 17, 22, 27, 32, 37

and 42 on BFI-44 item questionnaire.

• Neuroticism:

The personality trait of neuroticism refers to relatively stable tendencies to respond with

negative emotions to threat, frustration, or loss (Benjamin B. Lahey, 2009). It is also known as

emotional stability which refers to the extent to which a person is calm and secure. An

individual might be self-conscious and shy. Item number 4, 9, 14, 19, 24, 29, 34, and 39 are

used to measure neuroticism on the BFI-44 item questionnaire.

• Biological parents:

Parents who conceive a child through natural process and transmits their genes to the child

being their birth parent.

• Adoption:

A process where a legal responsibility of a child is taken by a couple/female/male. It can be

done directly; to ask someone or get the child with consent of the biological parents or can be

done through an orphanage.

• Adoptive parents:

Parents who adopts someone else child so that he/she can raise that child like a parent. Taking

the full responsibility of the child.

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ADOPTIVE AND BIOLOGICAL PARENTS

Limitations

The study should be carried out throughout Pakistan for a better idea about the statistic of the

annual rate of adoption, to generalize the findings. Similarly, orphanages should be concerned

from all over Pakistan

While generalizing a research finding for a country it is important to also approach

the minorities (e.g.; religious minorities). As the generalization would only be valid if the entire

representative samples, of a population are focused, too. Each sect within Islam has its own

moral values and teachings, and sometimes their culture is also very distinct from the rest. This

is crucial to the study, as culture and society have hypothesized in being key factors in the lack

of adoption procedures in Pakistan.

The relationship between husband and wife is also a very important key factor to be

analysed with respect to how each partner chooses to answer the questions. An imperative

decision like adoption needs to have full consent of both partners. Some other factors may

come about, as the research would go through the interview phase. A behaviour may be

observed which may present an issue of having an influenced opinion. This means, that either

one of the partners may agree to what the other one would say or present altered ideas about

adoption. Therefore, interviewing both partners separately can be a simple solution to this

problem. The investigation

Additionally, in the future, information regarding adoption and adoptive behaviours from

orphanages and agencies can be collected to further justify the findings of this study.

Finally, since this was a self-report questionnaire, the factors of bias and social desirability may

have had a role in how the questions were answered by the respondents.
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ADOPTIVE AND BIOLOGICAL PARENTS

Conclusion

This research paper will provide the analysis of characteristics of the adoptive and

biological parents which would be beneficial for the adoption agencies. The findings of this

research can indicate if there is a significant difference in the personality characteristics of

males and females who have adopted either a male child or a female child. Moreover, it will

investigate if that there are any significant differences in the characteristics of adoptive parents

and biological parents. Moreover, it will provide an insight into the concept of adoption in

Pakistan, and how it impacts lives of adoptive children.

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ADOPTIVE AND BIOLOGICAL PARENTS

Glossary

Terms Definitions

Islam: The world’s second largest fastest growing religion that observes

monotheism- believing in the oneness and unsurpassed qualities of the

creator, Allah. The followers of Islam are called Muslims, who believe in

the finality of Prophet Mohammad who disseminated the religion in 7th

Century Arabia.

Kafala: The ideology that an adoptive child must be given the last name of his/her

parents and not the adoptive parents. The child cannot be a Mahram until he

or she has been breast-fed by the adoptive mother before the age of two.

Upbringing an abandoned or orphaned child is encouraged in Islam, but the

legality of giving an adoptive father’s last name or rights to family

inheritance is a sensitive issue in Sharia Law.

Mahram: As per Islamic Sharia Law, a Mahram is anyone from the opposite sex one

cannot marry or observe Purdah from. For both men and women, the list of

Mahrams has been defined in the Qur’an. For a male, his Mahram females

can be his wife, mother, daughters, daughters of male and female siblings,

granddaughters from both sons and daughters, paternal and maternal aunts,

daughter in law, mother in law, step mother and step daughter, and all

women who have shared the same nursing mother as him. For women, her

Mahram males include her husband, father, brother, grandsons from both

sons and daughters, sons of male and female siblings, paternal and maternal
 29
ADOPTIVE AND BIOLOGICAL PARENTS

uncles, son in law, father in law, stepfather and stepsons and all men who

have shared the same nursing mother as her.

Non Mahram: Anyone other than the list of Mahrams for both men and women, whom they

can marry at any given point in their lives is a Non Mahram. Strict Purdah

must be observed from them, safeguarding chastity and modesty as per

Islamic Sharia Law.

Purdah: Religious practice observed by Muslims of screening or covering women

from strangers or Non Mahrams with the help of a veil or scarf. Loose

clothing is also an important part of Purdah which is to be implemented by

both men and women.

Qur’an: The fundamental religious text in Islam which Muslims believe was revealed

by the Allah Himself upon his last messenger and prophet, Mohammad. It is

divided into chapters and verses, Surahs and Ayahs respectively.

Sharia Law: Set of religious rules, regulations and guiding principles excerpted from

Qur’an which govern the members of Islamic Faith.

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ADOPTIVE AND BIOLOGICAL PARENTS

Appendix A
 31
ADOPTIVE AND BIOLOGICAL PARENTS
 32
ADOPTIVE AND BIOLOGICAL PARENTS

Appendix B
Scoring instructions:

 To score the BFI, you’ll first need to reverse-score all negatively-keyed items:

Extraversion: 6, 21, 31
Agreeableness: 2, 12, 27, 37
Conscientiousness: 8, 18, 23, 43
Neuroticism: 9, 24, 34
Openness: 35, 41

 To recode these items, you should subtract your score for all reverse-scored items

from 6. For example, if you gave yourself a 5, compute 6 minus 5 and your recoded

score is 1. That is, a score of 1 becomes 5, 2 becomes 4, 3 remains 3, 4 becomes 2,

and 5 becomes 1.

 Next, you will create scale scores by averaging the following items for each B5

domain (where R indicates using the reverse-scored item).

Extraversion: 1, 6R 11, 16, 21R, 26, 31R, 36

Agreeableness: 2R, 7, 12R, 17, 22, 27R, 32, 37R, 42
Conscientiousness: 3, 8R, 13, 18R, 23R, 28, 33, 38, 43R
Neuroticism: 4, 9R, 14, 19, 24R, 29, 34R, 39
Openness: 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35R, 40, 41R, 44
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ADOPTIVE AND BIOLOGICAL PARENTS

Appendix C:
Demographics Form:

The following information was collected from the participants after they gave their verbal

ascent to contribute in the study:

1. The age at which they became parents or adopted.

2. Their socioeconomic status.

3. Their education/qualification.

4. Their familial structure.

5. In case of adoption, the gender of the child they adopted.

6. Reason behind their decision to adopt.

7. Source of adoption.
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ADOPTIVE AND BIOLOGICAL PARENTS

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