Browsing by Author "Nyyssönen, Tiia"

The goal of this Bachelor Thesis is to study critically adoption counselling for international adoption. The theoretical framework of this Research is based on the post-structural approach. This particular approach allows to question the objective knowledge, a one-way power and the subject's conscious existence. From the post-structural point of view it is possible to study the use of power in adoption counselling and the agency of the adoption applicant. The concept of the subject can be described as an indefinable individual and the agency is defined as the subject’s opportunity to act and to choose oneself the most desired option. Power and agency strongly intertwined with each other and therefore it is impossible to separate them. Power occurs in social relationships and it defines also the agency of the subject. The subject who holds the power in these power relations has also the necessary resources to achieve the intended effect. Further Researches related to international adoption have mainly focused largely on adoption triangle which includes consists of the adoptive child, the biological parents and the adoptive parents. Meanwhile international adoption counselling given by social workers is less studied. Hanna-Mari Helo (2006) has examined adoptive applicants’ experiences of adoption counselling. The results of her Master’s Thesis emphasizes the social worker’s power which the social worker use during adoption counselling process. In this bachelor's thesis the research questions are: what kind of experiences do the interviewed adoption applicants have concerning the power of the authorities in international adoption counselling? What kind of agency did the applicants carry out in the international adoption counselling? The data of this bachelor’s thesis has been collected using theme interviews. Three of the interviewees were women and one was a man. Each of them got international adoption counselling from Pelastakaa Lapset ry. One of the interviewees couldn’t go through the whole adoption process and other interviewees followed through the process and got adoptive children. This Bachelor’s Thesis is carried out with a qualitative approach and a case study as a research method. The research data is analysed with theme method. According to research results social worker has strong agency in adoption counselling and adoptive applicant is left with restricted agency. The adoptive applicant has to act according to the social worker’s image of the good adoptive parent. The social worker has power to decide on contents of adoption counselling and schedule of adoption counselling. The social worker also decides who is a suitable adoptive parent. The social worker has resources and position that enables him to use power in international adoption counselling.