Make a Genogram and Trace Certain Physical,
Personality, or Behavioral Attributes through
Lesson 8 Generations
When a picture depicts thousand words.”
Grandfather, grandmother, father, mother, son, daughter, aunt, uncle,
cousin, niece, and nephew are but just of the few words you will use in
making family genogram. You will be able to identify various family
members in your family as well as other members of your kin when
illustrating your family genogram.
In this lesson, let us learn more about how your family genogram will help
you trace physical, personality, or behavioral attributes through generations.
As a student, you will be able to recognize your family members and
describe each of them. You need to do some activities in this lesson. Also,
medical, social, emotional and mental relationships in the family will be
represented to help you focus on the family information you want to know
and further evaluate.
Tracing our family history may not only give us ideas of who are the
prominent individuals who belong to our family tree but most significantly, it
will help us grow better. You will not only learn who your family is but how
everyone is
connected. For instance, a family genogram can tell you who is married,
widowed, divorced, and the like.
To begin a genogram, you will need to follow different steps to document
your family history. Wise choice of symbols could lead to a well-illustrated
family genogram.
However, you are going to do the following activities first before going
further with the lesson.
Genogram Defined
A genogram (pronounced: jen-uh-gram) is a graphic representation of
a family tree that displays detailed data on relationships among individuals.
A genogram is a more complex family tree because it describes not only the
family’s physical and social relationships, but also the emotional connections
and other family attributes.
Genograms were first developed and popularized in clinical settings by
Monica McGoldrick and Randy Gerson through the publication of a book in
1985. Genograms are now used by various groups of people in a variety of
fields such as medicine, psychology, social work, genealogy, genetic
research, and education.
A genogram is also known as a McGoldrick–Gerson study (Jolly et
al., 1980). It goes beyond a traditional family tree by allowing the user to
visualize hereditary patterns and psychological factors that punctuate
relationships. It can be used to identify repetitive patterns of behavior and to
recognize hereditary tendencies (Friedman et al., 1988).
Murray Bowen invented the concept of the genogram as part of his
family systems model in the 1970s. Genograms were later developed and
popularized in clinical settings by Monica McGoldrick and Randy Gerson
through the publication of a book titled Genograms: Assessment and
Intervention in 1985. Genograms are now used by various groups of people
in a variety of fields such as medicine, psychiatry, psychology, social work,
genetic research, education, and many more. Some practitioners in personal
and family therapy use genograms for personal records and/or to explain
family dynamics to the client.
Genogram Symbols
A genogram is a family tree or map or history that uses special
symbols to describe relationships of family members over multiple
generations. Like any other graphic organizer, genogram makes it easy for a
person to present and comprehend certain information.
Figure 1. Basic Genogram Symbols
Male symbol
Female symbol
Pregnancy
Gay symbol
Lesbian symbol
Married
Separated
Divorced
X Death
Conflictual relationship
Very close relationship
Distant relationship
Additional genogram symbols
1. Know your reason for making a genogram to help you determine the
type of family information you want to indicate.
2. Name all the members of your family kinship that you wanted to
include in your genogram.
3. Organize questions to gather facts and figures about your relatives
to be included in the genogram
4. Write down notes how everyone in your family is connected. Solicit
information starting with the oldest generation down the line.
SAMPLE ON HOW TO MAKE A GENOGRAM
Joel Burgos had been married for 25 years to Lita Burgos. They have
two sons namely: Jaime and Joseph Burgos.
Joseph Burgos has a distant relationship with Lita Madrigal.
Activity 1: Worded Problem
A. Directions: Make a family genogram using the situation below. Use
another sheet of paper if needed. ½ C.W
Juan, 48 years old, had been married to Maria, 42 years old,
since 2000. They were blessed with two children, Fe and Jose. Fe, 22
years old, was the eldest and Jose, 20 years old, was the youngest.
However, as time went by, problems and misunderstanding of the
couple had caused them to divorce their marriage.
Eventually, due to the divorced of their parents, Fe had decided to get
married to Mateo, 26 years old, last 2019. Later, they were blessed with
twins named Noel and Noela. On the other hand, Maria then found her
long-distance relationship to Nena, a 40-year-old lesbian. While at
present, Jose is living alone with his favorite pet, Lassie.
B. Multiple Choice
Direction. Choose the letter of the best answer. Write the chosen letter on a
separate sheet of paper.
1. What is this graphic representation of a family tree that displays
detailed data on relationships among the individual member of the
family?
A. Genocide
B. Genogram
C. Genealogy
D. Generation
2. Genograms were first developed and popularized in clinical settings by
Monica
McGoldrick and Randy Gerson through the publication of a book in
A. 1985 B. 1988 C. 1995
D. 1998
3. A genogram is also known as A. McCormick–Gerson study
B. McGoldrick–Gerson study
C. McJohnrick–Gerson study
D. McPatrick–Gerson study
4. Who invented the concept of the genogram as part of his family
systems model?
A. Charles Bowen
B. Harray Randell
C. Marly Bowen
D. Murray Bowen
5. Genograms are now used by various groups of people in a variety of
fields like medicine, psychiatry, psychology, social work, genetic
research, and
A. culture
B. education
C. philosophy D. society
B. Identification
B.1 Directions: Study the genogram below and draw the symbols of
the following identifiers from items 6-10.
6. Male ________________
7. Married ________________
8. Death ________________
9. Divorced ________________
10. Female ________________
B.2 Directions: Name the genogram symbols used below.
11. __________________ 14. ____________________
12. __________________ 15. ____________________
13. __________________
Additional Activities Directions:
Study your family genogram and describe the family
relationships in the form of an essay. Write your answer on a
separate sheet of paper. 1 whole sheet of paper
You have already learned a lot about family structure. This time, you
are going to make a legwork. Try interviewing your relatives about your
family history. You may begin with your parents then interview your
grandparents for you to make ‘The Family Genogram’ of your clan.
Trace the history of your family considering the family relationships,
emotional relationships, and medical history using the different genogram
symbols. Consider a good layout in presenting your output. Include
important details such as the complete name of your relative and their
occupation or any legacy to where they become prominent. Then, write a
short statement giving your assessment as to whom you have inherited
some of your dominant characteristic traits. Write your answer on a
separate sheet of paper.
