McGoldrick Ch. 5 - Exploring Family Constellations with Genograms

Question 1

What theory provides the basis and interpretive principles for evaluating genograms?

Answer 1

family systems theory

Question 2

first area to explore on a genogram

Answer 2

basic family structure – structural patterns revealed by the lines and symbols on the diagram.

Question 3

family patterns

Answer 3

tend to intensify when repeated across generations.

Question 4

household composition

Answer 4

one of the first things to notice on a genogram. may help to encircle households on a genogram

Question 5

traditional nuclear family household

Answer 5

62% of us children grow up in one.

tend to be less flexible under stress than more extended family unites.

can be expected to have certain predictable parent-child triangles

Question 6

single parent households

Answer 6

formed by single parent bearing or adopting, after a divorce, separation, death, or desertion by another parent.

Question 7

multigenerational households

Answer 7

generaly provide more flexible support.

Question 8

parent-child triangles

Answer 8

2 parents may resolve tension by joining together to focus on their child. it is the joining together of 2 people in relation to a third that defines triangular relationships.

Question 9

triangles in families w/ foster or adopted children

Answer 9

tension between parents, parhaps over dissapoint at not being able to conceive a child, may be present before child is even adopted. children may fantasize about adopted parents

Question 10

multigenerational triangles

Answer 10

most common is btwn grandparent and grandchild as allies against parents. common when one parent is absent and most likely occurs when a single mother and her children share a household with her parents.

Question 11

family boundaries: open and closed, insiders and outsiders

Answer 11

tendes to be correlation btwn level of intensity of relationships w/in a family and their relationships with outsiders

Question 12

triangles over time

Answer 12

help understand family processes.

Question 13

remarried families

Answer 13

increasing percentage of families. essential to do an accurate genogram to be sure of who is part of the family, including aunts, uncles, grandparents, and informal kin who participate in each child’s life, and to explore the impact of the divorce and remarriage on each family member

Question 14

in vitro fertilization

Answer 14

who is party of family

Question 15

children raised in multiple households

Answer 15

when the “functional” family is different from the biological or legal family, it is usefl to create a separate genogram to show the functional structure

Question 16

triangles w/ pets and objects

Answer 16

triangling occurs w/ objects as well as people. a spouse’s investment outside the family may be in an affair, work, hobbies, alcohol, the internet, etc. the impact is similar, except there is obviously no feedback loop from the inanimate third ponit in the triangle.

Question 17

richly cross-joined families

Answer 17

problems may arise when there are multiple intermarriages in the family, such as cousins or step-siblings marrying. there comes a point when the clinician must resort to multiple pages or special notes on the genogram to clarify these complexities.

Question 18

unusual family configurations

Answer 18

paterns of success or failure.

Question 19

children growing up in multiple families: foster care, adoption, and orphanage experiences

Answer 19

increasingly complex, but crucial to track