Personal Narrative: my Family Genogram
In this personal narrative, the writer will present their family genogram, a visual representation of their family history and relationships. The narrative will explore family dynamics, intergenerational patterns, and significant events that have shaped the family’s history. It will include reflections on cultural, social, and health aspects within the family, providing insight into how these factors have influenced the writer’s identity and perspectives. The narrative aims to offer a personal and introspective look at family heritage and its impact on individual development. Moreover, at PapersOwl, there are additional free essay samples connected to Family.
How it works
A genogram is an excellent way of illustrating family relationships, conflicts and intergenerational patterns and understanding family dynamics that drive and affect family members. Developing my family genogram was extremely painful for me because it brought painful memories and experiences I had throughout the past years of my life, but at the same time, I found it a challenging way to learn more about conflicts in my family and how and why such conflicts have developed. By making this genogram, I became fully aware of the conflicts and characteristics that my family members share, which helped me learn more about myself and how I became who I am today.
My family genogram includes four generations.
The first generation includes my parental and maternal grandparents who passed away when I was a little child. I do not recall how my relationship with them was, but my mother told me that I was close to my grandfathers and closer to my grandmothers. The second generation includes my parents and their siblings (my uncles and aunts from both sides). My father was the oldest of one brother and four sisters. His brother and two of his sisters passed away, one of which was hostile to me. My relationships with his other two sisters were different. I still have a good relationship with one, and the other one who still lives in our house has been violent towards me most of the time in the past years. My mother has one older brother and one younger sister. I had a good relationship with her brother (my uncle) who passed away a few years ago, and I still have a good relationship with her sister (my aunt) who currently lives in Egypt.
The third generation includes me and my seven siblings (four sisters and three brothers) and their spouses, and in the fourth generation, I only included the number of children they have. The characteristics that exist within my family that are a result of nature are Heart Disease, Cancer, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Arthritis, and Depression. These characteristics run on both my father’s and my mother’s sides of the family. In this paper, I have decided to focus on the conflicts shown in my family genogram because these conflicts impacted my life, shaped my personality and made me the person I am today. While developing my family genogram, it was clear that main conflicts and various forms of violence were committed by my brothers and their wives against me, for cultural reasons. Being a woman in Gaza is extremely difficult. Gaza is a patriarchal, conservative, male-dominating and close-minded society, where men are the final decision makers and have power over women within the family, and women do not have a voice and are oppressed through a culture of silence.
Women in my society are controlled by their fathers and brothers when they are single, and by their husbands after they marry. In my cultural context, women do not and are not allowed to have a voice or live on their own. I am the youngest of seven siblings. All my siblings responded to family pressure and accepted traditional arranged marriages. All of them now are parents of many children. In my society, women generally get married at an early age through traditional arranged marriages.
My sisters married through family arranged marriages before they reached the age of eighteen. I never wanted to accept what my sisters accepted. I always wanted to pursue my education. I was doing very good at high school and wanted to pursue my education, so I didn’t respect to family pressure and rejected all arranged marriages my family had arranged for me. As a result, my family especially my brothers turned against me, committed several forms of verbal and physical violence against me, treated me with disrespect and turned my life into hell. To make my life even worse, my brothers ordered their wives to treat me badly, and their wives blindly followed their orders and were hostile to me. I would not care much if my brothers and their families live away from where I live, but unfortunately, we all live in the same building. The fused violence committed against me by my brothers did not make me give up on my dream of pursuing my education. My wildest dream at the time was to get a university degree, get a job and be independent. After graduating from high school, top of my class, I received a full scholarship to study for my first university degree at the University of Calgary, Canada.
My family, especially my brothers, tried to stand in my way, beat me up, stole my passport, and refused to let me go, but my father wanted to have at least one educated child in the family to be proud of. Since my older brothers and sisters left school early, my father saw me as his last hope and let me travel to Canada on my own. His unlikely decision became a turning point in my life. I was top of my class at my university, and I graduated with distinction and returned to Gaza, open-minded, free-spirited and with great knowledge. Back in Gaza, my father was the only one who was happy for me and proud of me. I remember my brothers were very jealous, and instead of congratulating me for graduating with honors, they insulted me and suggested I give them my university certificate to use as toilet paper. This insult affected me badly at the time, but I used it as motivation to give me more strength to fight for my life and freedom. Shortly after I returned from Canada, I worked for local and international organizations and companies in Gaza. While I was working in Gaza, my brothers obliged me to take full responsibility for my parents and siblings still at home; I paid their living expenses and bills. None of that was appreciated; it was simply expected, because I was still single, by choice.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t find my out of Gaza and my brothers forced me to take full responsibility for my parents especially my sick mother. And so, for some years, I continued to take care of my parents, but I never let go of my dream of getting a master’s degree abroad. Here I am not pursuing my MA degree in Conflict Transformation at CJP/EMU. By outlining this specific relationship that my brothers and I have, I realized that I have nothing in common with them. It breaks my heart to see this relationship falling apart, but I think that the jealousy and stubbornness that my brothers have are the main reasons behind it. It still hurts because it is difficult to understand why my brothers are like this. Why I had to suffer while everyone else in my family was so seemingly happy with their lives. Why I hurt so badly when other siblings get along so well. I used to think it might be my fault. While living in Gaza, I felt isolated and cut-off from the rest of my family. It is also embarrassing because it feels like I was the only one with brothers who cannot get along. Sometimes it was difficult for me to accept that it was not my fault.
Having a spiraling mind with endless thoughts and loneliness with no escape often led me to self-blame and guilt and made me feel that being a single woman in my family was a burden and the cause of this whole conflict. But I learned to accept that it is not my fault and that I should not take responsibility for my brothers’ actions. While creating my family genogram, I have realized that the three concepts of Bowen Theory that resonate with me and apply to my family system are Sibling Position, Emotional Cutoff, and Triangles. Firstly, my position in my sibling order had a negative impact on me all my life. Having older brothers in a male-dominating society means male dominance against women. The violence committed by my older brothers against me served in their role as dominating male authority figures in the family, but at the same time gave me strength, courage and determination to fight for my life, freedom and education and shaped my personality. Secondly, and as I described it in my genogram reflection above, the emotional cutoff I am still feeling due to living with my brothers in the past years explains the pattern of how I have been dealing with this kind of attachment and the long-term consequences of doing so. Thirdly, the concept of Triangles is true to my family. It defines the patterns of anxiety between me and my brothers and how I have been controlled by them over the past years.
Bowen Theory helped me understand why my brothers behave the way they do, and how my family system works. In conclusion, writing this paper has been an emotional learning experience for me. At the same time, it helped me realize how my personality has developed in a better way over the years. It also helped me understand how the challenges and difficulties I faced in my life were essential in giving me the will, courage and determination I need to keep going. On the other hand, I have realized the importance of understanding family dynamics and how these dynamics drive and affect family members and their relationships with one another. This understanding does not only make me a better person but also helps me identify with other people, both on the professional and personal level.
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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Family History — Genogram Analysis: Exploring Family Relationships
Genogram Analysis: Exploring Family Relationships
- Categories: Family History Family Relationships
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Words: 468 |
Published: Aug 4, 2023
Words: 468 | Page: 1 | 3 min read
Table of contents
Genogram as a tool, family relations in my genogram, works cited.
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Genograms Role in Family and Marriage Reflective Essay
- To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
- As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
- As a template for you assignment
Marriage and Remarriage
Transition to parenthood, families with adolescents, coping and resilience.
My family consists of two women and one man. It is a single family because parents got divorced when I was fifteen. The family managed to cope with challenges as time went by. My mother had to bring up her two daughters and one son alone since my father was busy working. At the age of twenty-two, I got married and was blessed with a son a year later.
However, my marriage was terminated prematurely when I realized that my husband was playing games with my life. I decided to get divorced and move to a new place. I also got to know that my grandmother was forced to divorce my grandfather as well since he was cheating on her.
My aunt was a victim of domestic violence because she was frequently abused at home, which forced her to move out. My sister suffered from the same problem as my aunt did since she was accused of being obese. My second aunt, however, had a decent life that is admired by everybody in the family. It is not surprising because my grandmother was a benevolent person.
The life circle of a family is spherical and rhythmic. This implies that we can start explaining the behavior of a family member from any point of view. From my experience, my family genogram can be analyzed starting from the time I turned fifteen. At the age of fifteen, I could remember every aspect of my life. My family genogram can be used to explain my behavior and that of my son.
When married, the genogram suggests that two people come together to form a single unit. Before marriage, each family has a life cycle, which is different for every family and each person consequently. For the two families to form a successful family unit they must appreciate their origins. The genogram offers adequate information regarding the connectedness of the two families.
Moreover, the genorgram helps in identifying the family roles of the couples before marriage. In many occasions, one spouse might compete for space in the family. In case this happens, the spouse would be engaged in constant conflicts, which might interfere with role-playing in the family. Conflicts arise when the family of one married couple disapproves the relationship.
Relatives, such as in-laws, might interfere with the relationship of the married individuals whenever they feel that the relationship goes against their expectations. Previous relationships may also interfere with the marriage of the newly wedded individuals.
From my parents’ marriage, it is eminent that the relationships of their parents interfered with their union. My grandfather left my grandmother because of unknown reasons. The same happened to my father who decided to quit without giving any valid reason. In my life, the same problem affected my marriage.
My first husband decided to quit without giving reasons. When analyzing genograms, it is very important to take note of the age of family members. At every age bracket, family members tend to go through a particular difficulty. However, the norms differ among families and are always changing.
Each culture has its specific norms and standards. In the life of an individual, history plays an important role in understanding his or her behavior. Though people have different histories, understanding a single aspect of history would help in explaining the behavior of an individual.
For children who go through difficulties in their lives, they might hate themselves and decide to engage in behaviors that might be dangerous to their survival. My two aunts and my sister were victims of societal injustices. My aunt engaged in sexual relationships at a tender age of fifteen because the society was against her. The behavior of my parents regarding marriage affected their children in many ways.
My father left my mother to engage in a sexual relationship with a young woman. From my father’s second relationship, a number of uncommon aspects are eminent. My father was over forty years yet he was having an affair with a young woman who mistreated my sister. My father’s girlfriend was almost my sister’s age mate. This could be the reason why she mistreated my sister.
It is true that their relationship could not last for long because the age difference would affect them as far as forming a new family was concerned.
There are some unclear issues regarding my father’s relationship. At age forty, he could be considered a grandfather whereas he married somebody close to his daughter’s age. One wonders why a young woman would agree to engage in a sexual relationship with mature man with children. This is surprising because my father never had huge investments.
From my father’s experience, it is true that unresolved issues may affect the relationship of an individual. Due to numerous challenges I faced in childhood, my relationship with my first husband could not continue. The unresolved issues in my childhood affected my first relationship. My engagement into married life was more complex because of the previous experiences.
Therefore, I entered into a new relationship with a number of unresolved issues. In other words, remarrying calls for commitment as far as the life cycle is concerned. In the second family, there are issues that must be improved. One of them are memories from the previous relations.
A child from the previous family is another issue to consider. When analyzing a genogram, the two must be taken into consideration. In my second marriage, the major challenge was to find a unified approach to my son and the children of my new partner.
Parents have a big responsibility of ensuring that they bring up their children according to societal rules and regulations. On the other hand, they have a responsibility of ensuring that their relationships with their marriage partners flourish. Genograms are used to identify some of the stressors that affect individuals at the parenthood stage.
It is noted that parents go through a number of challenges in ensuring that children are brought up in line with societal norms. Sibling constellation is used to analyze the strength of parents regarding the upbringing of children. Furthermore, sibling constellation is very important when understanding the circumstances surrounding the birth of a child.
In addition, scholars usually use genograms to comprehend mother-father-child relationships at the adulthood stage. From my family genogram, it can be seen that I am the middle born in the family of three. My birth marked the beginning of the life cycle of the second generation. My son would be affected by my second marriage.
A genogram suggests that the birth of the first child is more important as compared to the second marriage. I entered into the second marriage to safeguard the interests of my son. In particular, I wanted my son to have a father in his life. The father plays an important role in the life of the child. As soon as I married my second husband, my attention shifted to our new relationship.
The presence of children signified the legitimacy of our relationship. In my life, I always appreciated my grandmother because she worked alone hard to raise my mother. In fact, my relationship with her is very strong given the fact that she went through the same situation what I experienced in my first relationship.
My second husband’s conditions affected the whole family since our children depended on him in many things, including emotional support. This shows that evaluation of a life circle is also important as far as examination of life stressors is concerned. Traumatic events have tremendous effects on the life of an individual. When an individual loses something in life, it disrupts his or her life in a certain way.
The life of an individual cannot be normal once interrupted by things such as divorce and sickness. In my life, everything changed when my parents separated. Similarly, my life was affected when my first husband gave up bringing up the child. In this regard, an individual must reorganize his life in order to cope with the challenges.
For instance, I had to develop some mechanisms that would help me counter the challenges. Since I had no option, my life cycle seemed distorted. I even lost a sense of motion since I had to count many losses. This shows that a family genogram helps in tracking the losses in life over a given period.
Serious diseases tend to affect the confidence of the surviving members. After the death of my father, my siblings saw the need of uniting. In my current relationship, my husband’s health condition has affected the family in many ways. Children are demoralized when they realize that their father suffers from cancer. It is a challenge to me to convince them that their father will be well one day.
At times, I feel that our future is indefinite due to his condition. Similarly, the appearence of the child tends to threaten the position of other family members. Before I was born, my elder sister was treated with care and dignity. However, my presence always affected his position in the family.
First, she was treated badly because she was obese. As earlier noted, my father could bring presents to me and my brother but not my sister. My sister was a burden because of my presence. My father could count on me whenever he wanted the company of a girl child.
From my family’s genogram, it is noted that my behavior was not consistent with the expectations of my parents. For instance, I engaged in heavy drinking and partying, which was unacceptable to my father. This affected my relationship with my father.
My aunt was bitter because the society never appreciated her body image. As she was approaching adolescence, she engaged in unprotected sex, something that caused a big problem in her life. At the age of twenty-one, she had four children. She was unable to bring up the children leading to government intervention.
As earlier noted, my first relationship was not successful. Furthermore, I went through psychological trauma since my first husband could not support our only child. However, I had to develop some strategies to counter the traumatizing event. I had to be resilient because I had to continue with my normal life. I could not surrender since my son depended on me.
Since I was full of optimism, I bounced back to my previous state quite easily. In fact, I emerged stronger since I was hopeful and courageous. One of the strategies I employed was proactive coping. This means that I anticipated for problems in life. Even in my second relationship, the health condition of my husband never diverted my attention. Proactive coping entails anticipating for a problem.
The strategy helped me in coming up with ways through which I could handle challenges. I have always encouraged my children to be optimistic by simply avoiding negative reasoning. Since resilience is a process, my children have learned it with time. Apart from proactive coping, I have learned that associating with relevant groups would give me social support.
Genograms are very important in determining the behavior of family members. In my family, I am in a position to explain the actions of various family members by simply analyzing my family genogram. However, I have learned some ways through which I can cope with various traumatizing events. Therefore, my first relationship and the health condition of my second husband have never affected my life.
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IvyPanda. (2019, June 27). Genograms Role in Family and Marriage. https://ivypanda.com/essays/genograms-role-in-family-and-marriage/
"Genograms Role in Family and Marriage." IvyPanda , 27 June 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/genograms-role-in-family-and-marriage/.
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IvyPanda . 2019. "Genograms Role in Family and Marriage." June 27, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/genograms-role-in-family-and-marriage/.
1. IvyPanda . "Genograms Role in Family and Marriage." June 27, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/genograms-role-in-family-and-marriage/.
Bibliography
IvyPanda . "Genograms Role in Family and Marriage." June 27, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/genograms-role-in-family-and-marriage/.
Guides & Help
Writing a genogram analysis: , basics of the written portion of your genogram project.
The Genogram paper is not a family history but rather is characterized by discussion and analysis of dynamics within the student’s family. This paper is largely an interpretive analysis of the one-page genogram drawing and should include information and history only as is helpful in demonstrating the underlying feelings, motivations, and reasons involved in the issues of the student’s family. Some marks of a good paper: clarity in expression, discussion/analysis of processes, integration of history and relational dynamics, concise transition between stories and analysis, breadth of coverage, discipline in focus.
The Genogram paper follows standard academic writing procedure but is heart-oriented and reflective in nature. Though citations will most likely be minimal, proper credit should be given if using words or ideas from another person. The paper should also be written in good English, which includes proper spelling and grammar as well as prose that is free from informal English (slang, appeals to the reader, contractions, etc.). The text should be clear, coherent, and as concise as possible.
Elements of a Genogram
This section seeks to lay out the process of writing the genogram paper, not give methods for how to draw your one-page genogram or analyze the family dynamics. For tips on these processes, see your professor or some of the following resources:
- A Family Genogram Workbook by Israel Galindo, Elaine Boomer, and Don Reagan (Richmond, VA: Educational Consultants, 2006).
- Genograms: Assessment and Intervention by Monica McGoldrick, Randy Gerson, and Sylvia Shellenberger (New York: W.W. Norton, 1999).
- Focused Genograms: Intergenerational Assessment of Individuals, Couples, and Families by Rita DeMaria, Gerald Weeks, and Larry Hof (Philadelphia, PA: Brunner/Mazel, 1999).
Choose a topic/focus. Based on the patterns you see on your genogram, choose the relational patterns/topics to focus. This focus should be narrow enough in scope for you to cover adequately in your paper and should be a prevalent theme throughout your genogram.
Formulate a thesis. This one-sentence assertion will summarize the issues you plan to focus on in your paper. A thesis should be narrow and doable, yet challenging and interesting to you and your reader.
Research/plan using class material and outside resources, explore processes. Take notes of key themes you will discuss in your paper and group similar thoughts together. Revise thesis if necessary. Using these groups, follow the lead of your thesis to build an outline.
Write your paper using the outline you have built.
Helpful Questions to Ask Yourself as You Write
- Am I describing processes shown on my genogram diagram?
- Are my transitions between the various elements of history/story/process coherent?
- Am I analyzing relationship dynamics or merely summarizing family history?
Format of a Research Paper
Unless your professor requests otherwise, the following conventions are recommended.
- The paper should be typed and double-spaced using a clear, non-ornamental, serif font. Examples of acceptable fonts include Times New Roman or Palatino. The text of the paper should be set in 12-point type with footnotes in 10-point.
- Margins are typically 1″ on all sides.
- Page numbers should be included on all pages in a place that remains consistent throughout the paper (i.e., top right on every page, bottom center on every page, etc.).
- Only one space (not two) should be placed after the terminal punctuation of a sentence.
- Titles of books and other longer works should be italicized, not underlined. Titles of articles, essays, parts of longer works, or other shorter works should be enclosed in quotation marks.
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in: Family , Featured , People
Guest Contributor • May 3, 2017 • Last updated: June 3, 2021
Beyond the Family Tree: The Benefits of Making Family Genograms
Editor’s note: This is a guest article from AJ Gretz.
Learning about your family can be an interesting, emotional, and sometimes difficult process. Every family has a story. Some parts will leave you proud, and perhaps even inspired to pursue greater virtue and generosity.
Others, maybe not so much.
If you’ve begun researching your family history , you might be looking for a way to assimilate all of the information you’re learning in a meaningful way. This is where creating a family genogram can be extremely helpful.
What Is a Genogram?
A genogram is essentially an enhanced version of the family tree. To start, you map out your family history, going back two or three generations (or more if you feel really ambitious). However, rather than simply recording the historical facts about your family, you also note patterns of behavior, and the quality of relationships between different family members.
I was first introduced to the concept of the genogram when I was in seminary. As part of a class my first year, we were asked to compile a genogram as a way of better understanding our own family history. My professor explained that if we know where we come from, and the particular issues and temptations that have affected our relatives, we can more easily identify and overcome those same issues ourselves .
Genograms are often used by counselors and therapists with an interest in what’s called Family Systems Theory. In a nutshell, Family Systems Theory is a way of understanding individuals as part of a larger family “system.” FST argues that evaluating a person only as an individual — outside their upbringing and family life — misses key information about them. This is because the more anxiety and conflict there is in a person’s family system, the more likely it is that they have been adversely affected by the people around them.
Genograms are useful because they help to unpack family dynamics, some of which have been in play for decades. The way your parents treated you was largely influenced by the way their parents treated them, just as your grandparents were shaped by the way their parents treated them, and so on.
Understanding the history (and sometimes, dysfunction) of your family can be a powerful opportunity for personal growth. The more we understand how we have been shaped by the network of personalities and relationships that we’ve grown up with, the more we can identify what we want to hold on to, and what we want to change.
How to Make a Family Genogram
Genograms typically use different symbols as shorthand to depict both the individuals in a family system, and the nature of their relationships with one another.
For example, males are often drawn as squares, and females as circles. Children are indicated through a connected solid line, usually below the names of their parents.
Here is an illustration of an immediate family:
Now let’s add aunts and uncles, as well as grandparents. We can also use different symbols to explain some of the relationships. Healthy relationships are marked with the solid line. Divorce can be shown with two slashes on the line:
Tracking Traits
One of the things you can do with a family genogram is track how certain personality traits or talents have been passed through your family line.
For example, perhaps you are a musician, and in the process of talking with family members, you realize musical ability (indicated with “M” below) runs throughout your family tree:
Or, perhaps you are looking for whether or not alcohol or a certain prescription medication is something you want to consume. Looking at your family history may help you understand that you could be predisposed towards certain substance abuse addictions (indicated with “SA” below) or other unhealthy vices:
Tracking Relationships
Any conflict that you want to note between family members can be marked by a squiggly line, rather than a solid one. For example, perhaps there has been ongoing conflict on your father’s side between between your father and grandfather. In the genogram, you would want to note this, and indicate your understanding of the conflict:
It is sometimes (though certainly not always) the case that these conflicts, if not dealt with, re-appear down the family line. As you flesh out the genogram, you may begin to notice patterns:
Doing the genogram and talking with family members can help you understand the root of this conflict, which will both promote healing in your own family system, and help guard you against falling into the same issues.
In the above example, it is possible that the grandfather had a poor relationship with his father. This has created a chain of conflict among the men in the family. Recognizing this pattern would help an individual see his conflict with his father as part of a larger, systemic issue. If the man can begin to understand his father, and why his father’s relationship with his father is so poor, there may be an opportunity for improvement in the relationship.
Another possibility is that this systemic conflict is the result of a divorce that did not end well. Some studies have shown that children of divorced parents have a greater risk of getting divorced themselves (called the “intergenerational transmission of divorce”). In this family system, neither the grandfather nor his children have ever really dealt with their pain and disappointment. And without doing the hard work of healing and forgiving, this conflict has had a negative affect on the children, as well as their own marriages.
There are many other possible reasons for this conflict. Abuse, mental illness, substance abuse, workaholic tendencies, etc. all can have a lasting impact on a family system. Doing a genogram is not a magic bullet to solving these problems; it does, however, present an opportunity for personal growth. By better understanding where members of your family are coming from, and what they have dealt with, you may grow in empathy for them, making healing and reconciliation easier.
Genograms can also be helpful if you have a blended family, step-parents, and/or half-siblings as a result of divorce and re-marriage. Understanding these networks of relationships, and the things that have shaped them, can shed light on your own place in the family system. You can do separate genograms for different family “units,” or put them all together to get a sense of the whole system around you.
Filling Out the Genogram — Family Interviews
Once the basic nature of the relationships have been noted, it’s time to get even more detailed information.
For my own class assignment, I was required to interview my immediate family, as well as any extended family I wished to talk to. The goal was to get family members to talk about things that they might not otherwise bring up on their own. And so we were encouraged to intentionally ask questions about their life growing up, and the nature of their relationships with other family members.
Some sample questions you might want to ask family members could be:
- What do you remember about growing up?
- What did you like about the way your parents raised you?
- What did you dislike about the way your parents raised you?
- How did you meet your spouse?
- If divorced, what led to that happening?
- Were you close to your siblings growing up? Why or why not?
- Do you feel close to your siblings now? Why or why not?
- What would it take to have a better relationship with your parents? Or your siblings?
- How do you feel about the way you parented me?
- What do you remember about me as a child?
As you can see, some of these questions are far more personal than others, and there’s high potential for getting into a very serious or sensitive conversation. I had the luxury of telling my family members that I was doing “homework,” which probably let me ask questions more directly than if I was having a casual conversation. You will obviously have to gauge how appropriate it is to ask about certain things, and how willing a family member is to open up about different parts of their own past.
Still, it’s worth risking a little awkwardness in order to understand your family story. I was in my mid-20s when I put together my family genogram, and I was amazed at the things I learned about my family. Although there is pain in my extended family story, I walked away with a newfound respect for my parents. They had dealt with challenges and had experiences I did not know about, and I’m not sure if they would have voluntarily talked about them. Hearing their stories helped to put some of my own personality and experiences into context.
Again, a genogram doesn’t only have to be about the hard stuff. Creating a genogram that tracks certain skills or virtues throughout your family history can help bolster a sense of pride and belonging, as you recognize the impact your family has left on the lives of others. Additionally, a genogram can be a helpful tool to examine your family’s medical history. Recognizing patterns can help you understand your genetic makeup, and how to best take care of yourself over the long haul.
If you’re looking to get started, there are several websites that can help you draw out your family story. I drew these examples using Google Drawing, but there are programs that will do the shapes and connections for you. You can find several of them, as well as a more extensive overview of genograms here .
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AJ Gretz is a pastor, husband, and father of two. He is an advocate for simpler living and a passionate defender of the American Midwest. He and his family currently live in the glorious state of Michigan.
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Home / Essay Samples / Life / Family History / Genogram Analysis of My Family
Genogram Analysis of My Family
- Category: Life , Sociology
- Topic: Family History , Personal Life , Traditional Family Roles
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