This is a scaffolding assignment to help students understand how a genogram is created and how to use the various symbols to denote family relationships, marital status, family issues, family patterns of mental illness, and substance abuse.
Develop a genogram illustration that addresses the following criteria:
Choose a family (for this assignment this can be your own family)
Draw three generations of genealogy, legal family, pets, and others who have played an integral role in the family, if applicable.
Use only standardized genogram symbols.
Show structure of family members: siblings, aunts/uncles, grandparents, remarriages, blended families (step-members and half siblings), divorces, pets, close family friends, and god families.
List dates birth/death, dates of marriage, and divorce. Include the race, ethnicity, culture, place of birth, residency, cause of death, mental health, and substance abuse issues.
Identify family characteristics, i.e., type of family structure, type of marriage/parental union, length of the relationship, type of family, and authority pattern (who has the power).
Identify emotional patterns i.e., close, conflicted, cutoff, distant, unknown, passive aggressive (or fused & conflicted).
Identify family or generational values and issues and patterns: occupation, education, hobbies, military duty, work ethic, family business, religion, addiction/recovery, incarceration, homicide, suicide, reunions, parenting style, mental illness, emigration from the country of birth, marriage within or outside the culture, sexuality, cancer, longevity, foster care, adoption, and child abuse. Every generation manifests their values and issues differently.
Identify social patterns i.e., neighborhoods, communities, places of worship, places of work and education, social clubs
Due to privacy concerns and the potential for revealing personal information, I cannot create a genogram based on my own family. However, I can provide you with a sample genogram illustration with details you can customize to fit your own family structure.
Sample Genogram
**Generation I**
John Smith (1920-2000) - White, American, Protestant - Married (1942) - Mary Jones (1922-2010) - White, American, Protestant - Cause of Death: Heart Failure - Married (1942)
**Generation II**
* David Smith (1945) - White, American, Protestant - Born in New York City, NY - Currently resides in Los Angeles, CA - Married (1970, Divorced 1985) - Sarah Miller (1947) - White, American, Catholic - Born in Chicago, IL - Currently resides in Seattle, WA - Cause of Death: Cancer (2020)
* Jane Smith (1948) - White, American, Protestant - Born in New York City, NY - Currently resides in Miami, FL - Married (1972) - Michael Thompson (1946) - White, American, Jewish - Born in Detroit, MI - Currently resides in Miami, FL
**Generation III**
* Michael Smith (1972) - White, American, Protestant - Born in San Francisco, CA - Currently resides in Denver, CO - Married (2002) - Emily Johnson (1975) - White, American, Atheist - Born in Austin, TX - Currently resides in Denver, CO
* Laura Smith (1975) - White, American, Protestant - Born in San Francisco, CA - Currently resides in New York City, NY - Single (Never Married)
* Lisa Thompson (1978) - White, American, Interfaith (Raised Jewish, practicing Christian) - Born in Miami, FL - Currently resides in Atlanta, GA - Married (2005) - Daniel Williams (1977) - Black, American, Christian - Born in Houston, TX - Currently resides in Atlanta, GA
* William Thompson (1982) - White, American, Interfaith (Raised Jewish, Agnostic) - Born in Miami, FL - Currently resides in Chicago, IL - Single (Never Married)
**Pets**
* Max (Golden Retriever, 2008-2018) - Owned by Michael & Emily Smith (Generation III)
**Close Family Friends**
* Alice Johnson (1942) - White, American, Protestant - Born in Cleveland, OH - Currently resides in Denver, CO (Close friend of Jane Smith - Generation II)
**Key**
* Solid Lines - Married Couples
* Dashed Lines - Divorced Couples
* Rectangular Boxes - Males
* Circular Boxes - Females
* Double Lines - Subsequent Marriages
* Dates within Boxes - Birth and Death (if applicable)
* Dates next to Lines - Marriage and Divorce (if applicable)
**Note:** This is a basic example, and you can add more symbols to represent additional complexities within your family. You can also include information about mental health, substance abuse, education, occupation, etc.
**Remember:**
* Use standardized genogram symbols to ensure clarity.
* Maintain privacy by omitting sensitive details.
* Focus on understanding family patterns and dynamics.