The genogram was created by Murray Bowen in the 1970’s and made popular in 1985 in a book written by Monica McGoldrick and Randy Gerson called “Genograms: Assessment and Intervention”. By just one simple glance, you will be able to grasp the interrelationships between elements, quickly, easily and efficiently. No matter what purpose you use a genogram, the end result should be the same. Remember, that is the point of the genogram, to take something extremely complex, and break it down into easy to understand elements. Genograms will list several symbols on their legend. For example, maps have legends, and so do genograms. Genograms have basic features which are similar to a map. In a nutshell, genograms are diagrams, or maps of your family history and medical history, and just like a road map, they utilize special symbols in order to help you visualize relationships. A professionally trained genealogist will not use a genogram. However, it is important to note, that genograms are a tool for laymen to chart their family history.
Think about what kind of information you want to learn from making your genogram.It will also tell you how many kids each union (typically between two individuals) has, what each child is like, and what the individual relationships are between members on more than just a physical level.
For example, a genogram can tell you who is married, divorced, widowed, etc.You'll not only learn who is in your family, but how everyone is connected through physical and emotional relationships. Only in addition to looking at the branches, you also look at the leaves on each branch. Once you know why you're making a genogram, whether it’s for a healthcare provider, school project, or just to get to know you and your family more, knowing what it is you want to learn can help you to organize how you go about populating your genogram.