They are conscientious and reliable, often utilize black-and-white thinking, and love to read. There are well-tested theories that make strong connections between personality and whether someone is a first-born, middle-born, or last-born child.įirst-borns, for instance, tend to be perfectionists, leaders, over-achievers. In exploring sibling relationships, I like to provide clients with some psychoeducation on birth order. Genograms can help underscore the impact that siblings have, as well. We typically take for granted that our parents have the most significant effect on our development. In many cases, people need an entire session to start exploring the relational dynamics that existed and might still exist amongst them and their siblings. (See how Greg’s father remarried and had Greg’s younger half-sister with his second wife, Becky.) This structure changes to accommodate multiple marriages.
If a sibling is older, they are placed to the left of the index person if younger, to the right. The next step is to add siblings, assuming there are any. (Note in the hypothetical example above that Greg is this person.) I outline this shape again to denote that they are the index person around whom the genogram will grow. Squares are for males, circles are for females, and a combination of one inside the other is for transgender individuals. I represent them on the page with their name and a shape to designate their gender. When building a client’s genogram, I always start with when they were born. More chronological depth means an opportunity to recognize more patterns. Some clients, though, can provide information that goes even farther back in time, which is ideal. At minimum, a genogram represents three generations of one family. For certain personalities, it’s a very appealing way to begin the psychotherapy process.
The genogram is a kind of family tree that not only provides important names and dates, but also denotes patterns of relationship, mental health, and more.