My Genogram: Deviant Behavior

Although my genogram does not show many obvious signs of “deviant behavior,” there is a great deal that transpires under the surface. Though most of my immediate and extended family drinks alcohol, it has never been excessive or harmful and no one that we know of has any drug addiction. My family tree has a strong pattern of religion, but they vary between denominations within Christianity. This religious base seems like a positive trait; however, it is regularly used against our family members as a moral regulator and makes people feel unaccepted.
The patterns within my immediate family reflect the negative use of religion seen in my extended family; my stepmom has a history of emotional abuse, but also believes she is a strong Christian …show more content…
This is also true of the majority of my aunts and uncles—along with degrees, many of them are or have been teachers. This an interesting observation because most of my family members who are not teaching are/were in helping professions or the military—this displays how our family values service and helping others. Through the lens of the genogram, my family and their professions are incredibly reflective of my grandparents, parents, and aunts and uncles growing up in a small town as farmers. Many of them still live in small towns, have farmland, and are invested in their communities. Helping others is expected in towns like this and they grew up knowing that even if they did not have much, they had more than some people and they could always help those who needed …show more content…
His family genogram would have been much more involved than mine—cut-off relationships, drug and alcohol abuse from almost everyone at one time or another, physical abuse, and hostile relationships—but would also have less people. My husband is an only child and has few aunts and uncles. Needless to say, my husband has a significantly different view of what family is than I do. For the first time, I was able to be part of a family radically different than my own, and experience the fact that although I felt that my family was healthier than his, there were many things that my family did that were unhealthy or wrong that his family did not do. Being married also brings up the question of what we want our future family to look like and what we want to bring from each of our families. When we talk about this, and when I did my genogram, it helps me to reflect and know that neither of our families are perfect and they do not look at all similar, but there are things I wish to bring from both of