”Jag har bott på 15 olika fosterhem...” En studie om institutionsplacerade ungdomars livsberättelser.

Sammanfattning: The study aimed to capture the institutionalized adolescent´s life stories and identified their thoughts and experiences of being institutionalized. This to understand and analyze the process that they go through to become adults with respect to three selected aspects: family relationships, school attendance and self-esteem. The adolescent´s in this study are or have been institutionalized by and according to Swedish law. It was based on 14 life stories and the purpose were to identify the adolescents thoughts and experience and which was later on used to understand and analyze the results with respect to the three selected aspects. Our analysis was based on two theories; symbolic interactionism and labeling theory. The study concludes that the adolescent´s experience their time in institutions as both good and bad in different levels. Some adolescent´s had realized that the life they were living before they got to the institution was bad for them and that they now have come to conclusion that they deserve to have a “normal” and worthy life. Others are so affected by their life situation and background that they can’t bring themselves to improve their future.