Assignment: Family Genogram
Assignment Family Genogram
Assignment Family Genogram
This assignment will help you gain a better understanding of your family dynamics by completing a genogram. A genogram is like a road map to your family history. This assignment will be a two-step process.
First you will complete research on family genograms. Genopro.com is a helpful website that you can use for assistance with this assignment. (Hint – this is a great resource!) Write a one-page summary (in your own words) on your research and explain. Any information you use from any source needs to be cited! Please discuss:
- The history of genograms
- How genograms are used
- How genograms are completed
- What are the benefits of using a genogram
For the second part of this assignment you will “map out” your immediate family. You may need to contact extended family members for help Assignment Family Genogram. If that’s not possible, no problem, do the best you can with the information you have. You’ll start with you and your significant other as well as your children. Then, if possible, please go back two generations.
Remember, a genogram is more than a family tree. You need to identify relationships and their status (strong, weak, abusive, etc.), behavioral patterns (teen pregnancy, divorce, substance abuse, etc.), health issues and/or any other issues that you know of or become aware of during your research.
You may complete this assignment as a Word doc using whatever shapes, symbols, colors, etc. you want or you can draw your genogram by hand, scan it, and upload it as an attachment Assignment Family Genogram. PLEASE keep in mind that this is not an art class – I’m not looking for a masterpiece.
The purpose of this assignment is for you to see what patterns emerge within your family. The project should also include relationship lines and a significant events timeline . After you’ve completed your genogram please write a two-page summary, in a Word doc, that includes the answers to the following questions (as well as anything else you’d like to share):
1. What did you learn about your family history? (Please share as much as you are comfortable with. This assignment is very personal and your instructor is the only person who will read it.)
2. What was the experience of collecting information like for you?
3. Are there any patterns that emerged that surprised you? (For example communication, addiction, teen pregnancy, mental healthy issues, etc.) Why or why not?
4. How could a genogram help a couple strengthen their relationship?
5. How could parents use a genogram to educate their children?
6. Conclude your paper by summarizing what you learned from this assignment and how you can apply it to your family.
Your summary should be written in APA format with factual information to support your thoughts and ideas Assignment Family Genogram. The rubric (below) is what I’ll use to grade your project:
| Rubric | Possible points | Points earned |
| Student submitted a genogram that’s clearly labeled and contains a key. | 10 | |
| Student submitted research to include history, uses, how to, and benefits of genograms. | 20 | |
| Student summary includes:What the student learned about the family historySurprising patterns
How a genogram could help a couple strengthen their relationship How a genogram could help parents educate children Student incorporated information from the textbook and genopro.com |
40 | |
| Conclusion summarizes what student learned from this assignment and how it can be applied to his/her own family | 10 | |
| No spelling or grammar issues APA formatMeets length requirement | 20 | |
| 100 |
Assignment Family Genogram: Family Genome Project
A family genogram is a diagrammatic illustration of the history of a family’s behavioral patterns and medical history over several generations (Sitnik-Warchulska & Izydorczyk, 2018). A family genogram is an essential tool for evaluating a family member’s risk of developing a particular condition Assignment Family Genogram. Additionally, Jabbari and Rouster (2021) note that family genograms enable us to understand family dynamics which refer to the pattern of interactions among relatives, their relationships, and various factors that shape these interactions. Family systems stem from Bowen’s family systems theory.
According to this theory, family members are dependent on each other for physical, emotional, and economic support (Jabbari & Rouster, 2021). Consequently, supportive and secure family relationships manifest with advice, love, and care, while stressful family relationships are loaded with conflicts, critical feedback, and instability. In this piece of writing, I will construct my family genogram (3 generations) and finally discuss family system theories to support the dynamics of family genograms. (See Appendix for the genogram).
The Genogram
The first generation of the genogram consisting of my grandparents from both maternal and paternal sides is mainly geriatric. The significant critical finding from this generation is that my paternal grandfather was involved in a road traffic accident at 55 years and subsequently developed acute stress disorder, which resolved after treatment.
Similarly, my maternal grandmother has recently been diagnosed with hypertension and is currently on medication. The second generation generally is free from psychopathologies and medical-related issues, except for my paternal aunt, who suffered postpartum depression following her first delivery, which resolved.
The aforementioned generations are both Christians, strongly believe in monogamy and condemn divorce as well as substance use Assignment Family Genogram. The third generation is mainly composed of my two sisters and me. However, the third generation is currently in school. No deaths were reported in the genogram.
It is worth mentioning that this genogram is not detailed as most of the information was principally obtained from my parents, raising the possibility of concealing vital details. Finally, I must say that the relationships in the family have been supportive since childhood from both paternal and maternal sides, with few conflicts. See the appendix section for the diagram.
Family System Theory
The family theory comprises a spectrum of prepositions that attempt to explore particular aspects of family life. Understanding these theories is critical to comprehending family dynamics and appropriate family therapy. For instance, the Bowenian approach explores eight family system theories, including differentiation of self, emotional triangle, emotional cut-off, family projection process, multigenerational transmission process, sibling position, societal emotional process, and nuclear family emotional process (Erdem & Safi, 2018).
The above theories interact in a complex manner to influence a family’s behaviors and dynamics. Sibling position describes the different roles that siblings assume within the family based on the different expectations, parental discipline, and societal processes Assignment Family Genogram. For example, older siblings are expected to act responsibly and as role models to the younger ones.
Meanwhile, emotional cut-off involves a family member deploying emotional distancing from the family to manage emotional challenges and other family issues. According to Erdem and Safi (2018), this reduces stress and tension at that particular moment Assignment Family Genogram. Later, tension, conflicts, and disabling relationship will arise due to this detachment. Conversely, the family projection process highlights the risk of transmission of relationship difficulties, anxiety, and emotional concerns among family members within an emotional triangle.
Finally, the nuclear family emotional process strives to explain problematic areas within a nuclear family, including intimate partner conflict, emotional distance, impaired functionality in children, and problematic behaviors in one partner Assignment Family Genogram. In conclusion, these family system theories offer a unique opportunity for nurses to assess behavioral patterns and family relationships and attend to family concerns in a clinical setting effectively.
Assignment Family Genogram References
Erdem, G., & Safi, O. A. (2018). The cultural lens approach to Bowen family systems theory: Contributions of family change theory: Bowen family systems and family change. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 10(2), 469–483. https://doi.org/10.1111/jftr.12258
Jabbari, B., & Rouster, A. S. (2021). Family Dynamics. StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK560487/
Sitnik-Warchulska, K., & Izydorczyk, B. (2018). Family patterns and suicidal and violent behavior among adolescent girls-genogram analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 15(10). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph15102067
