Known and Unknown Identity

This qualitative study investigates the relationship between openness and identity among 18 adoptees. Many studies have argued that a high degree of openness is important for the identity formation of adoptees. However, few studies have explored this relationship. Two types of openness (biographical knowledge and communicative openness) are used to categorise the empirical material, making it possible to illuminate how different types of openness influence identity. The findings suggest that there is no direct link between a high degree of openness and positive identity formation. Instead, the relationship appears to be situational and changeable as adoptees come of age.