A genogram is a map or family history that uses special symbols to describe relationships, important events, and family dynamics across generations. Think of the genogram as a very detailed "family tree". Medical and mental health workers often use genograms to identify patterns of mental and physical disorders such as depression, bipolar disorder, cancer, and other genetic diseases. To start making a genogram, you will first need to interview your family members. After that, you can use the standard genogram symbols to create a chart containing your specific family history documentation.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Determining What You Want to Learn from the Genogram
Step 1. Determine the reason for the genogram
The purpose of this creation will help you focus on the type of family information you want to collect. These goals may also be helpful in determining who you will share the completed chart with in the future-sometimes the information may be seen as annoying or too sensitive for some family members, so you should also use your judgment in context.
- Genograms can focus on a variety of hereditary patterns and problems including drug abuse, mental disorders, physical abuse, and various physical illnesses.
- A genogram can present a visual document containing a history of any mental or medical tendencies you have for healthcare workers through your family lineage.
Step 2. Understand what you are looking for
Once you know the reason for making a genogram, whether it's for health workers, school assignments, or simply to find out more about you and your family, by understanding what you want to learn, it will be easier for you to plan the preparation of the genogram.
- A genogram is like a family tree. It's just that, in addition to seeing the branches, you also have to look at the leaves on each branch. You will learn not only who in your family, but also the physical and emotional relationships among members.
- For example, a genogram can tell you who is married, divorced, widowed, and so on. Genograms can also provide information about the number of children each family has, what their children are like, and the pattern of relationships among family members at levels that go beyond mere physical bonding.
- Think about the type of information you want to learn from creating this genogram. Would you like to know who in your family has a history of depression, a predisposition to an addictive substance, or a history of cancer? Maybe you'd like to learn more about why your mom and grandma never got along, by looking at the right clues, you'll be able to create a genogram that fits your goals.
Step 3. Determine the number of generations of the family you want to represent in the genogram
This will help give you a clear idea of who to go to for the information you need and whether it is possible to write down the ages of these people and their geographic location.
- Luckily, you can always use email, Skype, and other means of communication to reach out to relatives you might be able to meet in person.
- It will also make the drafting process easier and faster by knowing how far you need to go backwards. Would you like to start with your grandparents? Maybe you want to step back even further from your great-grandfather and great-grandmother. By deciding how far back you want to go, you can figure out who to call.
Step 4. Compile a list of questions for relatives and yourself
Use what you want to learn from the genogram to structure several questions so you can get as much information as possible in the shortest possible time. Here are some examples:
- “Starting with your grandmother, what was her full name, her husband's name, and when/how did she die? What ethnicity is he from?”
- "How many children did your mother's parents have?"
- “Does [name of family member] have a predisposition to drugs or alcohol?”
- “Does [name of family member] have a history of mental or physical illness? What's the disease?"
Part 2 of 3: Researching Family History
Step 1. Write down what you already know
Chances are you already know quite a bit about your family history, especially if you are close to one or more family members.
Look at the questions that have been compiled earlier and try to analyze how many you can answer yourself
Step 2. Talk to family members
Once you feel like you've written down everything you know, it's time to talk to your family members. Ask questions about relationships between family members and important events. Record this information.
- While the questions you've written can help provide an outline of what you want to learn, you may also be able to gain valuable information that you didn't think of before listening to stories from family members.
- Understand that this discussion may be difficult for some family members.
- Prepare to listen to various stories. Stories are one of the best pieces of information, meaning that's how we remember and convey information – encourage this when they start telling stories by listening attentively and asking open-ended questions that motivate the person to share more information.
Step 3. Search for information through family books and documents, as well as the internet
Sometimes your family can't remember everything you need to know or they don't want to tell you.
- Searching the web or family books can be used to compare what you get from your family or to fill in some gaps.
- However, make sure that this information is accurate if you decide to use it.
Step 4. Check your own history
You have health information in your personal documents that can help provide an outline.
- Extract information from your medical records.
- Create a report on the medications you may be taking, you can use this information to find out if other family members are taking these or similar medications for a condition.
Step 5. Study the relationships or ties between family members
When creating a genogram, you need to know how family members are connected to each other. Research the types of "family types" among family members, information about marriage, divorce, children, and so on.
- Record who is married, who is divorced, who may be living together outside of marriage.
- Are any family members widowed? Has anyone separated or parted because of some compulsion?
- Depending on what you want to learn from genogram generation, you may need to ask deeper and sometimes less pleasant questions to determine the pattern of this relationship. You may want to find out if any family members have had "short relationships" and how many, or if any family members have had forced relationships.
- Be careful with the person you are talking to and the types of questions asked as this may be unpleasant for some people.
Step 6. Learn the types of emotional connection
You already know the types of ties between family members, now is the time to learn the types of emotional connections that exist in your family members. The answers obtained will be very useful when you are trying to determine the psychological factors in the family.
- Do members of each family love each other? Do they get along? There may be some family members who don't get along.
- As you dig deeper, see if there are any patterns of drift or neglect. You can even dig deeper and differentiate between the physical and emotional components.
Part 3 of 3: Compiling a Genogram
Step 1. Compile your genogram
Sample genogram designs are available online or you can design your own from scratch and fill in each one manually. You can also purchase software applications specifically designed for generating genograms.
Step 2. Use genogram symbols to represent family members and existing relationship patterns, both normal and dysfunctional families
The symbol serves as a visual indicator of the information you gathered during the interview. You can draw standard genogram symbols by hand or by using the “draw” or “shapes” options in word processing applications.
- Males are marked with a square. When marking a marital relationship, position the male symbol on the left.
- Girls are marked with a circle. When marking a marital relationship, position the female symbol on the right.
- A horizontal line signifies marriage and two slashes signify divorce.
- The eldest child is always below and to the left of the family while the last child is below and to the right.
- Other symbols help you describe important family events such as pregnancy, miscarriage, illness, and death. There are even diamond or rhombus symbols to represent pets.
Step 3. Draw up a chart based on the interaction patterns in the family starting with the oldest generation you want to represent at the top
For example, you might decide to start the genogram with your grandparents or even your great-grandparents. Genograms can be used to show differences in patterns of family relationships as well as patterns (history) of illness.
- Genogram symbols are available to mark patterns of family interaction such as closeness, conflict, estrangement, and so on. Emotional interactions have their own symbols to keep the flow of the genogram clear.
- There are also symbols indicating physical and sexual violence as well as physical and mental disorders.
Step 4. Look at the pattern
When you have finished compiling the genogram, examine it carefully to see what types of patterns can be identified. There may be a hereditary pattern or certain psychological predisposition that is most noticeable when grouped in this way.
- Be careful about making assumptions. Avoid using the data you obtain to suggest that your family has a history of certain mental illnesses or disorders.
- Also avoid using genograms to make assumptions about family members' motivations or use them against them. While you may find that your aunt has a tendency to quit every job she's ever had while your cousin always seems to steal someone else's lover, using a genogram to "prove" your opinion that a family member needs psychoanalysis is not a good idea. Be very careful not to approach your family members in a "judgmental" manner or attitude because of the genogram; discuss with family or personal counselor before drawing conclusions from a homemade genogram.
- If you are writing a family history, the patterns drawn on the genogram can be very useful as a way to explain why family members of your ancestors left a geographic area, problems with relationships between family members, and can help locate other family members who are not recognized or recognized internationally. official.
Tips
- Store the completed genogram in a safe place. The information represented in the chart can be embarrassing or harmful to some family members.
- Always keep family members confidential when sharing or showing your genogram to people who are not members of your family.
- Genograms can also be used on plant and animal species to find out information about mutations, survivability, and so on.
- The following example makes an excellent class assignment: ask students to choose a famous character and find out about that character's background and family to try to construct a genogram. The task should be made easier by the internet, but also mention its limitations – these examples should serve as a research exercise, but need not be too detailed or too difficult.
- The genogram is also known as the "McGoldrick-Gerson study" or the "Lapidus Schematic".
