The Importance Of Genograms In Understanding Family Dynamics

Begin working on part one of the genogram project by reviewing all of the materials found in the genogram project folder below. Determine how you will accomplish the layout of your genogram.

Begin working on part two of the genogram project by examining the relationships in your genogram drawing. To do this, review the questions associated with part two of the genogram project in the genogram folder, and begin to work on your three to five page paper by discussing these relationship trends.

What is a Genogram?

A genogram  refers to a graphic representation of a family tree that that normally displays a comprehensive data on the relationship that exist among the individuals. This graphic work normally goes beyond a traditional or the ancient tree of the family by enabling the user to do the analysis of the hereditary patterns. This normally take into consideration the  psychological factors that are known to punctuate the  relationships. The graphic work is used by the therapists in the identification and quick understanding of the patient who is under diagnosis of any genetic disorder. This will also help in the understanding of the  family background of the patient that is normally believed to contribute to the state of mind(Lee & Chin 2017).

A genogram is useful as opposed to the pedigree chart since it maps out traits and relationships that are normally missed out. The first development of genograms and its subsequent popularity can be traced back in the clinical setting of Monica and Randy.It has nowadays found its use by different groups of people in different fields including social works, geneology, medicine, education and genetic research. It is normally known to contain a wealth of information on the families that are represented. In the first or initial stages, the basic information of the families is considered. Such information includes name, date of birth, gender and also date of death.

Other relevant data may include occupation, education, and chronic disease, nature of the family relationships, social relationships, and social behaviour. In most of the commonly used ganograms in the fields of medicine, the information regarding the genetic disorders is included. Such disorders may extend to the family line and they include alcoholism, alliances, living situations, diseases and depressions. Ganograms significantly vary since they have no limitation as to what type of data can be included.

In spite of the fact that there has been general understanding with respect to the essentials of the structure of the genogram and its images, there is little variety starting with one creator then onto the next. As a rule the images are reused in the delineation of various circumstances. In a few frequencies the extraordinary cases are ignored. In the general idea where the guys are noted with the square while the females are noted with the circles, understanding is made less demanding. The little youngsters are actually set underneath the line of the family from the most established to the most youthful start from left to right. In the showed case is a husband that has three life partners.

The Importance of Genograms in Family Therapy

The husband has a total of three children with his first wife before the two divorced. In the later years he got married to another lady and got two children before there was another separation. In the current set up, he lives with another woman. The best representation of this family set up is as shown in the diagram below. In any proper ganogram, the representation of the males is by square while the representation of the females is by a circle. In other advanced types of ganograms, children are grouped into three cartegories.These include the biological children. Biological children are also known as natural chidren.Then there is another case of adopted child and finally a foster child (Strong & Cohen 2013).

The portrayal of a pregnancy is through a triangle. Triangles may likewise be utilized to speak to unnatural birth cycles or premature births. At the point when a triangle is utilized to speak to an unnatural birth cycle, there is an askew cross that is drawn on the highest point of the triange.Triangles with comparable presentation are utilized for premature deliveries. They may have extra cross that is situated corner to corner however the image is twice little. In the instances of different passings that incorporate triplets, twins, sextuplets, quintuplets or much more, the connections of the tyke is combined. At times the term twin is utilized in the portrayal of the various births (Shamblen et al 2013).

A family is regarded as a system in which each and every person has a role to play and also a set of rules to be respected. Members of the same family have responsibility of responding to each other in a particular way pursuant to their role. These roles are however determined by the specific agreements of the relationships. Along the system boundary, there are behavioral changes that lead to the creation of patterns. Such patterns are known to influence the behaviour of other family members. The balance of the family system is achieved through maintenance of the set pattern. This may also include cases of dysfunction (Sherman & Fredman 2013).

Types of Information Included in a Genogram

The best example is the cases where the husband is very depressive and the stressed up to the extent that he cannot pull together. The wife may be expected to resume the responsibility and ensure that the family matters move on smoothly. These changes in the role are normally meant to ensure that the family moves on smoothly with a lot of stability on the management. The shift in the equilibrium may sometimes lead to dysfunction since the wife may not run a stable system for a long period of time (Choi & Luo 2016).

The family considered in this particular study is called Padmes family. The square is used to represent her father. The mother is represented by a circle .Her name is called Jobal.Jobal has an older sister whose name is called Sola.Since she has been put on the left, she is definitely older. From the tree that has been drawn, it is very much visible that Padme is in love with Anakin Skywalker.Anakim Skywalker is son to Shni Skywalker and also Force.Padme and Anakin have been blessed with twins who they love seriously.

The twins are Luke and Leia.It is very interesting to note that Anakin does not know this and is ignorance of the presence of Leia.Luke has been adopted by a person called Owen Lars and Buru Whitsun. The information that is an available indicates that Owen is son to Cliegg Lars. He is the very person who married the mother of Anakin after the death of Owens mother. On the other hand, Leia  is an adopted by an individual known as Bail Prestor Organa and Breha Antille.She is compelled to take the name of this family that Organa family. Luke possesses a very close violence relationship with his father. Every time they see each other they will fight. However Luke is a very close friend of Han Solo who is married to Leia and has one kid whose name is Ben. 

The two person relationship is considered as the basic unit of any emotional system. It is however important to note that the two system is unstable system since it tends to draw stability from other sources. In this case the created system employs a technique of three against one. In the event that anxiety gets too high in one of the systems or one of the triangles, it will spreads to other adjacent triangles. The process of spreading will continue further and further to other family system. This means that the formation of the triangle is due to the discomfort in the relationship of two persons(Cahill 2015).

Symbolism Used in Genograms

The expansion is realized to other parts of the family. The result of this action is that there will be binding of the family members into playing of a specific role and interactions that are coordinated properly. Such interactions may result into the problematic patterns or behaviour in the unwinding participants(Stein met & Sussman 2013). Whenever there is discord between two people, they normally try to alleviate the discomfort by forming a union or triangle by a mother party which is the third triangle in this case.

Families will always repeats themselves and what has  happened in one generation will definitely happen in the other generation(Stacey 2012). The actual behaviour however may take different form but the principle make up will be the same. The patterns of the relationships in the previous generation may provide proper models for the functioning of the next generation. The use of ganograms allows one to gain a proper insight into the intense relationships of the family. This will include the use of the structure that is given and also the position of the life cycle. The understanding of the pattern of the family in which two family members join against a third one is very crucial for the general understanding of the family relationships. There is a very important process that is known as detriangling.In this particular process the family members free themselves from the rigid patterns of the triangle(Spillius 2014).

A relationship of the family can be used in the establishment of the emotional relationships. Such relationship may involve for those individuals that are in a union. The emotional relationships describe the emotional bonds and this is normally described between two individuals who are within the ganogram of a family(Westreich 2012).

Different symbols that have been used describe different meaning. The symbol that has been used in the diagram below illustrates a type of relationship in which there is pain. This kind of emotional relationship may be used for the purposes of highlighting a normal relationship among several dysfunctional units. This may also resemble  twins that are identical but in the cases of like lines for twin the color is gray. The connection of twins is done by using a child link that is represented by letter V.A nonlinear line between the lines indicates a pain normal relationship.

Understanding Family Dynamics Through Emotional Relationships

The definition of a pathetic relationship is possible in the cases where one or both of the individuals are indifferent to each other.

The symbol illustrated below indicates a relationship that is having a limited communication. This has been due to the differences in the style of living standards.

In the process of creation of medical ganogram, there should be determination of the kind of the genetic disease  that is being targeted .

In this particular family, there was a smoker whose name is called Paul. Paul died recently of heart attack after years of battling heart disease. This was coupled with diabetes. The wife of Paul is called Karen. Karen has been diagnosed with cancer of the breast.Nathalies is pregnant and she is worried that possibly she may have a tumor of the breast. This anxiety has already affected her mental health and she is dealing with the depression. There is a mother smoker whose name is known as Andrew e has a son who is 8 years old but the son is having Down syndrome(Sherman & Fredman 2013).

References:

Cahill, C. M. (2015). The Oedipus Hex: Regulating Family after Marriage Equality. UCDL Rev., 49, 183.

Choi, S. Y., & Luo, M. (2016). Performative family: homosexuality, marriage and intergenerational dynamics in China. The British journal of sociology, 67(2), 260-280.

Lee, J., & Chin, M. (2017). Family and marriage. The Wiley?Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social Theory, 1-3.

Shamblen, S. R., Arnold, B. B., Mckiernan, P., Collins, D. A., & Strader, T. N. (2013). Applying the creating lasting family connections marriage enhancement program to marriages affected by prison reentry. Family Process, 52(3), 477-498.

Sherman, R., & Fredman, N. (2013). Handbook of measurements for marriage and family therapy. Routledge.

Sherman, R., & Fredman, N. (2013). Handbook of structured techniques in marriage and family therapy. Routledge.

Spillius, E., & Bott, E. (2014). Family and social network: Roles, norms and external relationships in ordinary urban families. Routledge.

Stacey, J. (2012). Unhitched: Love, marriage, and family values from West Hollywood to Western China. NYU Press.

Steinmetz, S. K., & Sussman, M. B. (Eds.). (2013). Handbook of Marriage and the Family. Springer Science & Business Media.

Strong, B., & Cohen, T. F. (2013). The marriage and family experience: Intimate relationships in a changing society. Cengage Learning.

Westreich, A. (2012). The “Gatekeepers” of Jewish Family Law: Marriage Annulment as a Test Case. Journal of Law and Religion, 27(2), 329-357.