[M.I.Ur.Birthsister]

Although adoption of children has existed in some form for thousands of years, it was not until the 1970s and 1980s that concern was expressed about its long-term consequences. While secrecy was considered to be of utmost importance in earlier adoption arrangements, it was later recognized that lack of information for adoptees about their original parents prevents satisfactory identity formation and contributes to the well-documented problems of adoptees *(Kirk, 1964;Sorosky, Baran, & Pannor, 1975) . After lobbying by professionals and those involved in adoption, there were changes in the law that made it legally possible for adult adoptees and birthparents to obtain both general and identifying information about the other, and to make contact. These changes have had huge ramifications, probably the greatest of which is the possibility of reunion. Such a reunion, while offering the freedom for birthparents and adoptees to find their “lost” family, also carries potential threat whereby “secrets” may be disclosed. Consequently, the thought of reunion evokes a myriad of mixed emotions, and is driven by a wide diversity of motives.

Adoptees' Motives for Searching
Dissatisfaction with the adoptive parents was originally thought to be a motivating factor related to adoptees' searching (Sorosky et al., 1975;Triseliotis, 1973) . However, more recent research has found that the vast majority of adoptees who search have positive relationships with the adoptive parents (Pacheco & Eme, 1993) or that the quality of adoptive relationships (either positive or negative) is not associated with a decision to search (Sachdev, 1992) .

In fact, the most common reasons for searching given by adoptees are related to four themes: “genealogical bewilderment” (adoptees' need for historical connection to resolve identity issues) (Sants, 1964) ; a need for information (Schechter & Bertocci, 1990) ; a need to reduce stigma (March, 1995) ; and a desire to assure the birthparents of the adoptees' well-being (Sachdev, 1992) .

Reflecting on his experience as an adoptee, Andersen (1989) suggested that adoptees' reasons for searching fall into three broad categories, of which searchers are not usually consciously aware. In the first category—the search as adventure—the adoptee wants to share future experiences and has a naïve view that it will be easy to continue the severed relationship. The other two categories—the medical model and the psychological trauma models—are both forms of search as therapy, in that they have the underlying intent of achieving personal change. Andersen outlined the components of the medical (deficiency) model that are implicit in this understanding of the search:

Adoptees: (1) need to take something into themselves; (2) this something is external; (3) the process is relatively passive and (4) resolution is complete (i.e. cure). (p. 626)
In the psychological model, the adoptee is considered to have suffered a traumatic experience related to separation from the biological family and “transplantation” to the adoptive family:
The salient characteristics of this model are (1) the adoptee suffers from a psychological trauma; (2) the problem is internal; (3) treatment is an active process; and (4) resolution is incomplete. (p. 630)
Implicit in the psychological model is that all searches are therapeutic. The three models of search are not mutually exclusive, but usually one is dominant.

Catalysts for actually initiating the search are commonly related to one of two significant changes in the adoptee's life: life-cycle transition, particularly pregnancy or birth (Campbell, Silverman, & Patti, 1991) , or a disruptive change in the relationship with the adoptive parents, such as the adoptive parents' death or divorce, or their estrangement from the adoptee (Kowal & Schilling, 1985) .

Birthmothers' Motives for Searching
There is far less information in the literature about birthparents' motives for searching than about the motives of adoptees. In a large-scale study, Silverman, Campbell, Patti, and Style (1988) found that mothers' searches were motivated by a desire to: a) establish a relationship with the child, b) gain information about the child's well-being, c) find inner peace or healing, d) tell the child of their love, and e) explain the circumstances of the surrender. While some first considered searching after a life transition, such as a divorce, most decided to search when they realized that finding the child was a real possibility.

Modell (1997) contended that there are few definitive findings in regard to reasons for the search. What has been conclusive is that more birthmothers than birthfathers undertake the search; those who do search are aware of the cultural prohibitions on searching; and, consequently, most birthmothers who search seek social support for their quest, often from self-help search groups. Modell found that birthmothers were looking for a more permanent attachment than were the adoptees. She asserted that the traditional model of “true” kinship, involving blood ties, provides some legitimacy to birthmothers for their search.

Although, in their reasons for searching, adoptees and birthmothers each have their particular emphases, there seems to be a common motivating factor, namely an underlying desire to reconnect with the person who is, in fact, part of their reality—a part that has hitherto been largely denied, in regard to both its degree of importance and its very existence.

Adoption Reunions
Although healing and gains in self-esteem are widely reported in both adoptees and birthmothers (Campbell et al., 1991;Silverman et al., 1988) , there is no consistent pattern to positive adoption reunion relationships (Sachdev, 1992) . While some have a difficult start but grow positively, others begin with euphoria and then deteriorate. In addition, reunion participants may bring differing expectations regarding the nature of their future relationship.

Modell (1997) suggested that, since the usual elements of a parental relationship are missing, reunion participants must borrow from other relationship models with which they are familiar. For example, she found that adoptees are more likely to use a friendship model than are birthparents, the latter being more likely to adopt a romantic intimacy model. Modell also found that participants in most ongoing relationships had tested the parent-child model. Although it met the needs for acceptance, love, and responsibility, the parent-child model did not fit in regard to differences in “parent” and “child” stages, age difference, or lack of a shared history. A model that was more acceptable to Modell's participants was described as an aunt-like model, in which the birthmother is conceptualized as a “relative in general rather than a parent in particular” (p. 58) .

The Present Study
Research suggests that the majority of reunion participants consider the event to be a worthwhile experience, regardless of the outcome. This evidence has been accrued largely from studies with a quantitative focus concerned mainly with reasons for the search, ratings of the degree of satisfaction with the reunion, and identification of effects of the reunion. In addition, the vast majority of adoption research has focused on the perspective of adoptees, almost to the exclusion of the other parties. The notable exception is Modell's (1997) qualitative research, which used openended interviews with adoptees and birthmothers. This work has brought reunion literature to a new stage, in that it acknowledged and began to explore the depth and complexity of ongoing adoption reunions. It is the only study that specifically required that the reunions studied had endured beyond the initial encounter.

Similar to Modell's (1997) work, the present study was designed to further explore the processes involved in adoption reunions and the meanings attached to the reunion relationship. In particular, this investigation sought to elaborate on Sachdev's (1992) work, in which two crucial factors in ongoing reunions were identified: participants' unrealistic expectations (including the nature of the relationship) and participants' ability to modify those expectations. A phenomenological and interactionist approach, following that described by Smith (1995), was chosen, since it provides considerable opportunity to develop an understanding of aspects that are significant to the individual participants. That is, the data obtained from such a study are likely to reflect fully the complexity and richness of adoption reunion experiences.

While it is recognized that a small proportion of birthfathers participate in adoption reunions, the present work sought to build on the existing literature related to reunions involving birthmothers. Consequently, the specific aims of the current study were to explore: a) the expectations of adoptees and birthmothers in ongoing adoption reunions; b) adoptees' and birthmothers' responses to unmet expectations; and (c) factors that influence the reunion outcome.