Genogram

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A genogram, also known as a family diagram, [1] [2] is a pictorial display of a person's position and ongoing relationships in their family's hereditary hierarchy. It goes beyond a traditional family tree by allowing the user to visualize social patterns and psychological factors that punctuate relationships, especially patterns that repeat over the generations. [3]

Contents

History

Georgetown Family Center Therapist Murray Bowen [4] developed the concept of the genogram. At the time, he called it a "family diagram" as part of his family systems model in the 1970s. He claimed not to know where the concept of a genogram came from but nonetheless avowed that he didn't invent it.

In their 1980 book, The Family Life Cycle, [5] Betty Carter and Monica McGoldrick included genograms on the book's cover and in a page regarding the genogram format; they were copyrighted to Bowen, who had been promoting the value of genograms in family systems work. The same year, Jack Bradt, a former student of Bowen's, published a pamphlet at the Groome Center which displayed the basic symbols used for genograms. [6] Genograms were later developed and popularized by McGoldrick and Randy Gerson through their 1985 book [7] titled Genograms in Family Assessment, as well as the fourth edition of Genograms: Assessment and Treatment, published in 2020 by McGoldrick, Gerson, and Sueli Petry. [8]

Since then, genograms have now been used by various groups of people in a diversity of fields; many practitioners in healthcare and mental health have come to use genograms, specifically for services that are interested in contextually understanding human behavior patterns. [9] Various individuals and groups in different fields have worked together to develop a standardized genogram. In psychiatry, Bowen and Bradt, as well as Philip Guerin, Brian Stagoll, and Karl Tomm have been credited. [10] [11] [4] In psychology, Gerson and Petry, as well as Michael Rohrbaugh and Eliana Gil have been credited. [3] [12] [13] In social work, Carter and McGoldrick, as well as Ann Hartman and Elaine Pinderhughes have been credited. [14] [15] [16] [5] In family medicine, Jack Medalie, Jack Froom, John Rodgers, and Michael Crouch have been credited. [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]

Symbols

Basic genogram symbols Genogram symbols 2023.jpg
Basic genogram symbols

A genogram is created with simple symbols representing gender and various lines to illustrate family relationships. Genogram symbols typically include date of birth and date of death over three or more generations, with the name of the individual underneath each one; current age and/or age at death are indicated within the symbol for each person.

A genogram can contain a wealth of information on the families represented. It shows not merely the individuals within a family lineage but also detailed information about them and between them. For example, in a genogram involving a father named Paul and a wife named Lily with three children, the diagram can depict relationships such as their eldest child going to boarding school, their middle child having conflict with her mother, and their youngest having a health condition like juvenile diabetes. It can also show descriptions like Paul's mental health records or Lily's employment history.

See also

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References

  1. ↑ Jolly, W.; Froom, J.; Rosen, M. G. (1980). "The genogram". The Journal of Family Practice. 10 (2): 251–255. PMID   7354276.
  2. ↑ Butler, J.F. (2008). "The Family Diagram and Genogram: Comparisons and Contrasts". American Journal of Family Therapy. 36 (3): 169–180. doi:10.1080/01926180701291055.
  3. 1 2 Friedman, H.; Rohrbaugh, M.; Krakauer, S. (1988), "The time-line genogram: Highlighting temporal aspects of family relationships", Family Process, 27, 27 (3): 293–303, doi:10.1111/j.1545-5300.1988.00293.x, PMID   3224700
  4. 1 2 Bowen, Murray (1978). Family Therapy in Clinical Practice. New York: Jason Aronson.
  5. 1 2 Carter, B.; McGoldrick, M. (1980). The Family Life Cycle. Gardner Press, NY.
  6. ↑ Bradt, Jack O. (1980). The family diagram: Method, technique and use in family therapy. Groome Center, Washington, D.C.
  7. ↑ McGoldrick, M.; Gerson, R (1985). Genograms in family assessment. New York: W.W. Norton.
  8. ↑ McGoldrick, M.; Gerson, R; Petry, S. Genograms: Assessment and treatment (4th ed.). New York: W.W. Norton & Company.
  9. ↑ Beck, R. L. (1987). "The genogram as process". American Journal of Family Therapy. 15 (4): 343–351. doi:10.1080/01926188708250694.
  10. ↑ Stagoll, Brian; Lang, Moshe (1 July 1980). "Climbing the Family Tree: Working with Genograms". Australian Journal of Family Therapy. 1 (4): 161–170. doi:10.1002/j.1467-8438.1980.tb00022.x. ISSN   1467-8438.
  11. ↑ Bradt, Jack (1980). The Family Diagram: Method, Technique and Uses in Family Therapy. Washington, D.C.: Groome Center.
  12. ↑ E. Gil, M. McGoldrick, & S. Petry (2020). Family Play Genograms. In McGoldrick, Gerson & Petry, Genograms: Assessment and Treatment, 4th Ed. W. W. Norton, New York.
  13. ↑ Petry, S.S. & McGoldrick, M. (2005). Genograms in Assessment and Therapy. In G.P.Koocher, J.C.Norcross & S.S. Hill (Eds). The Psychologist's Desk Reference, 2nd Edition, New York: Oxford University Press.
  14. ↑ McGoldrick, Monica (2016). The Genogram Casebook: A Clinical Companion to Genograms: Assessment and Intervention. New York: W. W. Norton.
  15. ↑ Pinderhughes, E. (2019). Black genealogy revisited: Restorying an African American family. In M. McGoldrick (Ed.), Re-visioning family therapy: Race, culture, and gender in clinical practice. New York: Guilford.
  16. ↑ Hartman, Ann (1995). "Diagrammatic assessment of family relationships". Families in Society. 76 (2): 111–122. doi:10.1177/104438949507600207.
  17. ↑ Medalie, J.H. (1978). Family History, Database, Family Tree, and Family Diagnosis, in J. H. Medalie (ed). Family Medicine: Principles and Applications (pp 329-336), Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins.
  18. ↑ Crouch, M (2020). Genograms in Medical or Psychiatric Practice. in M McGoldrick, R. Gerson & S. Petry: Genograms Assessment and Treatment, 4th Ed. W. W. Norton: New York.
  19. ↑ Crouch, M. & Davis, T. (1987). Using the genogram (family tree) clinically. In M. Crouch & L. Roberts (Eds.), The family in medical practice: A family systems primer. New York: Springer-Verlag.
  20. ↑ Rohrbaugh, M., Rogers, J.C., & McGoldrick, M. (1992). How do experts read family genograms? Family Systems Medicine, 10(1), 79-89.
  21. ↑ Rogers, J., C., & Rohrbaugh, M. (1991). The SAGE-PAGE trial: Do family genograms make a difference? Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, 4(5), 319-326.
  22. ↑ Rogers, J.C., Rohrbaugh, M., & McGoldrick, M. (1992). Can experts predict health risk from family genograms? Family Medicine, 24(3), 209-215.
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