Genogram Structure and Family Dynamics - Research Paper Example

? Lecturer: ? The genogram is a chart structured representation that gives an account of family relationships, weaknesses, health defects and strengths. The representation usually gives a conclusion as to the various diseases that may be affecting the family, hence giving an analysis as to the expected family health defects. With early detection which is facilitated by the knowledge of the features of the family health, some of the family members may be protected from acquiring such diseases. The genogram structure should have a number of generations, with the index person, in the middle of the generation structure. 4/29/2013 Grandmother KEY LEGEND Female Male Me Friendship/Close Deceased Fraternal twins (Siblings) Male Stillbirth Distant/poor relationship Adopted Sister Analysis The genogram presentation gives a complete account of the extended family, which starts with the grandparents down to me as the index member. The family is comprised of four grandparents each with individual characteristics, ranging from health disorders, strengths, personal traits and genetic diseases. The family bond joins everybody together, but there are a variety of variations in physical appearance and also religious inclination. My father’s side of the family is mainly Jewish though some of my father’s siblings, including him have converted to Christianity. My father’s family was brought up in a religious background, which explains the depth in belief and religion practices that my father portrays. My great grandmother, who was my grandfather’s mother from my father’s side was an Indian, her name was A’shadieeyah Padmal, though my great grandfather was white. The trait was passed down the generations, though its only evident with my hair, though the same trait is not displayed in my siblings. My great grandparents from my grandmother’s side were both white with deep Jewish roots. The same traits were passed down to my grandmother from my father’s side. My great grandfather from my mother’s side, had a Mongolian background though some of these traits are not expressed down the family, except for one of my aunts. My mother’s family was not religious, though each one of them looked for a religion to associate with. Most of them are mainly Christians. My mother is the last born in a family of four though one of her siblings passed on at the age of 29. My father on the other hand is the third born just after fraternal twins. According to my research my great grandparents believed in having big families. According to the chart , my father’s twin sibling died from a heart condition at the age of 12. Similar cases of heart diseases have been evident in the family, since my great grandfather died from a heart attack. My biological sibling have the same height as my father, though am the shorter, and possibly I take after my mother. My adopted sister has the same height as my elder sister. One of my siblings, who was a fraternal twin with my elder sister passed on at birth. The whole family is dynamic, while some of the characteristics are not contained in the family, some of them are borrowed from the society. The various diversifications in religion directly influence how the various generations turn out according to Berke, D, L., & Wisensale , S, K. (2005). With many of the family members being Christians our generation has turned out to be Christian based. My grandfather who is called Humphrey Murray was very religious and he was a buff in horse racing though he left the profession at age 32, just when my dad was born. The ethnicity of family background is generally white, though other features resulting from the intermarriage with people from different backgrounds are evident. This is displayed through the hair, skin and face features. Some of the members seem like they have been tanned while some of them have dark hair and others have brown hair. There are no cultural conflicts between both families since both families, that is; my father’s and mother’s family were brought up in the same cultural setup. Murray’s family is a social family, basically everyone is open and welcoming. They all appreciate coming together and celebrating various holidays as a family. Basically, my grandfather Murray has cultivated the culture of openness, unity and compassion towards each other. The same cannot be said for my mother’s family. This is due to the reason that, they rarely meet for any holidays. Secondly, they are held back and basically conservative towards expressing their views and affection towards each other. They are rarely involved in other members affairs , which seems inappropriate. Most of my mother’s siblings take alcohol though not at an extreme level. My grandfather who is called James Peterson is a charismatic man, he has been able to educate his children to college level. Comparing both families, mother’s families has more successful people. The reason cited according to Berke, D, L., & Wisensale , S, K. (2005), can be because of the different forms of parenting and obligation to be successful. Grandfather Peterson is more strict and always cautious, the same trait seems to be spread down to his children. The family generally has a number of various generations that have not been highlighted on the genogram. I make up part of the many generations that are exhibited in the genogram. Hence the family can be used as a source of reference to the numerous characteristics that I exhibit, and also the health complications that are experienced. Other factors that define my way of living are the cultural, religious and historical traits that are passed down the family. They shape up my way of living and form a barrier within which am expected to perform. Generally, they define me as being a member of the family, and secondly being brought up by distinct parents that set out a clear way for me to behave has also influenced me. The linking up between people with different ethnic backgrounds and culture, have brought about a change in how people behave, and their religious affiliations. This factors have influenced my religious inclination and also some of my physical features as stated earlier. According to Berke, D, L., & Wisensale , S, K. (2005), religion should not be an affiliation or something that one takes up from family members. Religion should be chosen. Thus in order to improve my relationship with God I ought to discover myself and through that, I can be able to choose what religion represents my interests better, therefore my inclination will be clearly personally chosen. The research was greatly revealing, I got to unveil a lot of hidden information about my family and establish where some of the behavior and characteristics originated from. Though some of the revelations were very new to me and at the same time interesting, some of the information was not pleasing to know. Some members were generally helpful while some of them sort to hide some of the key information that I required for the research. Basically, every individuals characteristics are accounted for in this essay and thus by now I have a good understanding as to why various members are the way they are to date. The learning outcome of the research is that, our family is a single unitary unit, and through that I got more hope and conviction that some of the conflicts that come up can easily be solved, since unlike other families we reason out together and are always ready to accepts each other’s faults. References Berke, D, L., & Wisensale , S, K. (2005). Family dynamics. 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