Genograms Vs. Family Trees
A family tree is usually made informally for family use. While most family trees are relatively short, dating back only a few generations, they can sometimes date back as far as a person can track his ancestry and become family treasures, sometimes being put on display in the home. A more formal version of the family tree, a genogram can be a useful tool for talking with your family doctor or counselor.
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Family History
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The study of family history is known as genealogy. People study their family histories to find out where they come from and when their ancestors were born, as well as where they were born, lived and died. People usually compile their genealogy research using a visual representation of their lineage known as a family tree.
Family Trees
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A family tree, also known as a pedigree chart, is a chart that illustrates family history by starting with one person and then "branching," so to speak, out from there. This is where the pedigree chart gets its more common name, the family tree. The family tree shows each individual's history on their father's and mother's sides and usually goes back for at least four generations. Only the most basic information is included in a standard family tree, according to Genealogy Today: the name of the family member, the location and date of birth and death and the name of the spouse. A group record, on the other hand, would include children.
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Family Medical History
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However, there are other things we want to know about our families. One of the most pertinent aspects of family histories for most people is the family medical history. The basic idea is that if your family members have had heart disease, for example, you and your children might have a higher likelihood to inherit heart disease compared with people who have no family history of heart disease.
Genograms
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In addition to outlining family history like a family tree, the genogram lists family medical traits as well and lists around three or four generations, although it's okay to have more. According to Genealogy Today, standard characters are used to create the genogram, with squares representing males and circles representing females. Beginning with the couple, then listing any children, the genogram includes the date of death, age at death and the cause. Any physical or mental health problems of living family members should also be noted. Genograms contain private medical information and shouldn't be shared as freely as family trees.
Applications of Genograms
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While the typical family tree is used exclusively for keeping track of genealogy in the family, genograms have much broader applications to society. Genograms are of use to many different professionals including marriage and family therapists, social workers and others in the human services and health professions, according to the Multicultural Family Institute. Counselors and other human service workers can track family traits like communication patterns that can help them treat their clients effectively.
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References
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