Psychology homework

 

Part 1: Hand-Draw Your Family Genogram

Create a hand-drawn genogram representing at least three generations of your family.

Your genogram must be created by hand.

You may use:

• Pencil
• Pen
• Colored pencils
• Markers
• A ruler if helpful
• Any combination you are comfortable using

You are welcome to use color to help organize your genogram, but artistic ability is not part of your grade.

Your genogram needs to be clear enough that another person can understand the family structure.

Include Three Generations

Your genogram should include:

Generation 1

Your grandparents

Generation 2

Your parent(s)/guardian(s)

Generation 3

You

Include siblings where applicable so that your place within the family structure is represented accurately.

You may also include:

• Spouses or partners
• Children
• Step-parents
• Step-siblings
• Half-siblings
• Other family relationships that are important to accurately representing your family structure

Information to Include

For each person, include the following when known and when you are comfortable providing it:

• First name or initials
• Age or approximate age
• Age at death, if applicable
• Relationship to other family members

If you do not know a piece of information, that is okay.

Simply write:

Unknown

Do not contact family members or conduct research simply to fill in missing information.

Use Genogram Symbols

Use the genogram symbols introduced in this week's readings and class to represent family members and relationships.

Your genogram should demonstrate appropriate use of the symbols needed to represent your family structure.

Depending on your family, this may include symbols for:

• Individuals
• Marriage/partnership
• Parent-child relationships
• Divorce or separation
• Death
• Other relationships or structures discussed in class

You do not need to use every genogram symbol we learn.

Use the symbols that are relevant to your family structure.

Your Privacy Matters

You are not required to include sensitive or private family information.

For example, you do not have to disclose information about:

• Mental health diagnoses
• Substance use
• Abuse or violence
• Medical conditions
• Family conflict
• Trauma
• Legal involvement
• Other information you consider private

The goal is to practice constructing the genogram, not to evaluate your own family.

If there is information you do not know or do not want to disclose, you may write:

Unknown

or

Not included

You will not lose points for protecting private family information.

Part 2: Three Observations

After completing your genogram, look at the family system you created.

Under your genogram or on a separate handwritten page, answer the following three questions.

Your responses can be brief, approximately 1–3 sentences each.

1. One Family Pattern I Notice

What is one pattern or characteristic that became easier to see when you looked at your family visually?

This does not have to be a problem.

For example, you might notice:

• Family size
• Geographic closeness or distance
• Marriage/remarriage
• Generational patterns
• Caregiving relationships
• Education
• Military involvement
• Another pattern you are comfortable identifying

2. One Family Strength I Notice

Identify one strength, support, or positive characteristic you recognize in your family system.

Briefly explain what you noticed.

3. One Thing the Genogram Helped Me Notice

What is one thing you noticed after seeing your family represented visually that you had not thought much about before?