Often, adoptees seek to connect with their biological families and investigate their genealogical roots. What exactly motivates them to trace their birth families? From what life history contexts do they begin this search? How do they process and evaluate the resulting experiences in relation to their identity construction and sense of familial belonging? Peter Kühn addresses these questions using a qualitative-empirical approach and presents in this volume the first detailed scientific examination of this intriguing topic in many years. Narrative-biographical interviews with adoptees form the empirical foundation. The theoretical framework includes attachment theory and symbolic interactionism, as well as rational choice approaches, identity theories, and field theory.