Introduction
In the field of couples and family therapy, genograms are widely known and used as graphic tools for gathering general or detailed information about family structure and interpersonal relationships, including relevant data regarding family demographics and key aspects of the past and present. Systemic family therapist Monica McGoldrick is not only a pioneer in developing, popularizing, and describing how to depict different family structures, and establishing codes and symbols, but she also proposes diverse modalities to utilize genograms as therapeutic instruments for assessments and interventions (McGoldrick et al. 2008).
A genogram is designed to help understand family composition, dynamics, and patterns across generations. Genograms in a sense are versions of family trees. Some people define them as graphic representations for mapping psychological factors and transgenerational relationship punctuations that influence individuals’ behaviors, emotions, and performances.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Anderson, H. (1997). Conversation, language, and possibilities: A postmodern approach to therapy. New York: Basic Books.
Cecchin, G., Lane, G., & Ray, W. A. (1992). Irreverence: A strategy for therapists’ survival. London: Karnac Books.
Iversen, R. R., Gergen, K. J., & Fairbanks, R. P., II. (2005). Assessment and social construction: Conflict or co-creation? British Journal of Social Work, 35(5), 689–708. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bch200.
McGoldrick, M., Gerson, R., & Petry, S. (2008). Genograms: Assessment and intervention (3rd ed.). New York: W.W. Norton.
Mosgaard, J. (in press). Therapy as anthropology. In S. Schliewe, N. Chaudhary, & P. Marsico (Eds.), Cultural psychology of intervention in the globalized world. Charlotte: Information Age Publishing.
Paré, D. A. (1995). Of families and other cultures: The shifting paradigm of family therapy. Family Process, 34(1), 1–19. doi:10.1111/j.1545-5300.1995.00001.x.
Seikkula, J., & Arnkil, T. E. (2014). Open dialogues and anticipations: Respecting otherness in the present moment. Helsinki: THL, Finnish National Institute for Health and Welfare.
Sesma-Vazquez, M. (2011). Pathways to dialogue: The work of collaborative therapists with couples. International Journal of Collaborative Practices, 2(1), 48–66.
Shotter, J. (2006). Understanding process from within: An argument for withness’-thinking. Organization Studies, 27(4), 585–604. doi:10.1177/0170840606062105.
White, M. (2007). Maps of narrative practice. New York: Norton.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Section Editor information
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG
About this entry
Cite this entry
Mosgaard, J., Sesma-Vazquez, M. (2017). Postmodern Approaches in the Use of Genograms. In: Lebow, J., Chambers, A., Breunlin, D. (eds) Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_829-1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-15877-8_829-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-15877-8
eBook Packages: Springer Reference Behavioral Science and PsychologyReference Module Humanities and Social SciencesReference Module Business, Economics and Social Sciences