All children try to find out who they are and where they belong in society. However, for adopted children, this task is more complicated. Noticing these differences, adopted children may begin to ask questions to help them understand why these differences exist. Although it is believed that identity formation is an on going process, this process tends to intensify during adolescence. Adolescence is a time when children begin to think about who they are and how they fit in the family.
Adolescence also is a time when most teens are trying to establish their independence and autonomy.
This fear of being rejected may be due to the adolescent knowing other adolescents who have been kicked out of their homes for misbehaving. School-age children may ask questions to help them understand why they may be different physically and racially from their adoptive parents and siblings. They may have questions about their birth. These questions may become particularly important to adopted children who are asked to create a family tree by their teachers. In creating the family tree, the child will be required to indicate how family members are related to one another.