Finding an adopted (older) sibling...

[HairOfTheDog]

How so, Dr. Spock? Spout your generalizations here....

If a child finds out they were rejected or abandoned by their real parents as an infant its bound to effect their self esteem in later life.

Exhibit A - the kid. The fact he was rejected by his birth mother will no doubt be one of the mitigating factors that drove him to the crack pipe.

Cause and effect.

Being adopted isn't bound to affect ones self esteem later in life. Depends on the adoptee, the parents, and a host of other factors that influence confidence and self-worth.

If your cause and effect theory which you applied to The Kid is applied objectively to other adoptees, you would then credit the great successes of people like Steve Jobs, Nelson Mandela, Babe Ruth, John Lennon... to the fact that they were adopted?

If so, your cause and effect theory contradicts your low self-esteem theory, based on the accomplishments and interviews of these confident adoptees.