Clonebeing: The Replacement Model

As I continue my way through Stephen E. Levick's book, "Clonebeing: Exploring the Psychological and Social Dimensions," another chapter is speaking strongly to me in its relationship to adoption. Levick addresses the dimension of "replacement" as a motivation in producing a clone. His Replacement Model centers largely on bereaved parents wishing to "replace," or fill the hole left by, a deceased child. The chapter is too extensive to be described here, but the parallel with adoption lies in the concept of the "false self" so frequently addressed in adoption literature. The implications for the plight of a clone are, to me, terrifying.

When a private investigator located my mother, I learned of the "replacement reaction" that occured in my own family. My first/natural/birth parents had married because my mother was pregnant, yet ultimately opted to relinquish anyway. They remained married and, two years later, had a son together, and shortly after, had a second son. I was taken aback by the fact that they had stayed together and proceeded to have a family together. It was a bitter irony that I'd been cut out of the loop. I now understand that it was the bereavement/replacement phenomenon.

Other than puzzling over the sense of irony, I've never had any conscious emotion on it all, but the implications are obvious... responses such as resentment, rage, feelings of rejection and inadequacy, feelings of being discarded. The Replacement Model in Levick's book has made me recognize that this aspect of my adoption is worth investing some inner work on.

Clonebeing

I'm currently reading "Clonebeing: Exploring the Psychological and Social Dimensions," by psychaitrist Stephen Levick. I find the concept of cloning very unappealing, so I don't tend to want to think on it much, but the book's cover image caught my eye. It is a photograph of a man apparently in his 20's sitting beside his purported clone. They do appear to be the same man at different life stages. They are dressed exactly alike (in silvery-cold Star Trek fashion) and the uncanny artistic touches include the clones' shoes- black with deep notches in the toes, suggestive of animal hooves and the experimental animal clones we hear of occasionally.

The cover spoke to me on being "invented," similar to my own perception (or one dimention of it) of myself as an adoptee.

As a clinical psychaitrist, the author is very interested in exploring the possible impending psychological/emotional consequences clones will face. He bases his speculations on various "models," including consideration of twin, stepchild, parent-child resemblance, and replacement-child models, among others. Model 3 presented in the book is the adoption model.

The author finds in cloning and adoption two useful approaches of comparison, similarities and contrast. Similarities include the consideration of topics like chosenness, specialness, disclosure, replacement, and social marginalization. An example of contrast highlights identity formation: the adoptee knows "nothing" of his/her origins, the clone knows "everything."

The book is facinating and perhaps required, if not at least recommended, for adoptees. Adoptees could well someday be important advocates for the psycological issues that human clones will face.

(Happy?) Mother's Day

It's the hardest day in the year, in a way. My thoughts/wishes/prayers/meditations- however you say it- go out to all moms & kids today.

Love to all-
Joy