ABSTRACT
This chapter describes interests of an analytical differentiation of the structural features characteristic of families in general and adoptive families in particular and separates elements that closely overlap during the course of family life. It begins with the evaluation of narrative accounts containing statements on emotional bonding, because this aspect is a particular focal point for adoptive parents at the start of their family history, as already shown by the descriptions of the first encounter with the child. The structuring of the awareness context reflects the anticipation of the adoptive parents with respect to their social normality classification. The history of interaction between adoptive parents and the adopted child is marked by a number of structural specificities that even persist in areas of shared everyday life apparently organized in accordance with the same rules as the parent — child relationship in a biologically constituted family.
