Genogram Glossary

A

Adopted Child: A child who has been legally adopted into a family. In genogram notation, adopted children are connected to parents with a dashed line rather than the solid line used for biological children. See also: Parent-Child Relationship
Abuse (Relationship): A harmful pattern in a relationship involving physical, emotional, sexual, or psychological harm. In genograms, abusive relationships are depicted with a zigzag line often with specific notation indicating the type of abuse.

B

Bowen Family Systems Theory: A theory of human behavior developed by psychiatrist Murray Bowen (1913-1990) that views the family as an emotional unit. The theory includes eight interlocking concepts including differentiation of self, triangulation, emotional cutoff, and multigenerational transmission process. Bowen introduced the genogram as a clinical tool in 1978.
Biological Child: A child born to parents through natural conception or assisted reproduction. In genogram notation, biological children are connected to their parents with a solid vertical line (the default connection type).

C

Circle (Symbol): The genogram symbol representing a female. Standard size is typically 30 pixels in digital genograms. This symbol was established by Murray Bowen in 1978 and remains the universal standard.
Close Relationship: An emotional relationship characterized by warmth, positive connection, and healthy attachment. In genogram notation, close relationships are shown with two parallel lines connecting the individuals. Also called "harmonious relationship."
Cohabitation (Union in Fact): A couple living together without legal marriage. In genogram notation, cohabitation is represented by a dotted horizontal line connecting the partners. Also called "common-law relationship" or "domestic partnership."
Conflict (Relationship): An emotional relationship marked by discord, hostility, or ongoing disagreement. In genogram notation, conflictual relationships are depicted with a zigzag or wavy line between individuals.
Cutoff (Emotional Cutoff): A process by which family members manage unresolved emotional issues by reducing or completely severing contact with each other. In Bowen Theory, cutoff is seen as a way to manage anxiety but typically intensifies problems over generations. In genogram notation, cutoff is shown as a line with a break or perpendicular marks. See also: Estrangement

D

Deceased: A family member who has died. In genogram notation, deceased individuals are shown with an X drawn through their symbol (square, circle, or diamond). The death date is typically noted near the symbol.
Diamond (Symbol): The genogram symbol representing a person of unknown or unspecified gender. Often used for pregnancies where sex has not been determined, or when gender information is not available.
Differentiation of Self: A core concept in Bowen Theory referring to the ability to maintain one's sense of self while remaining emotionally connected to significant others. People with higher differentiation can think clearly under stress and distinguish between thoughts and feelings. Differentiation exists on a continuum from low (highly fused with others) to high (individuated while connected).
Distant Relationship: An emotional relationship characterized by emotional distance, limited contact, or lack of connection. In genogram notation, distant relationships are shown with a dotted or dashed line between individuals.
Divorce: The legal dissolution of a marriage. In genogram notation, divorce is indicated by two diagonal slashes (//) through the marriage line connecting former spouses.

E

Emotional Relationship: The qualitative nature of the connection between two family members, beyond their structural relationship. Emotional relationships in genograms include: close, enmeshed, distant, cutoff, conflictual, and combinations thereof. These were standardized by McGoldrick et al.
Enmeshment: A relationship pattern characterized by blurred boundaries between family members, resulting in over-involvement in each other's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. In enmeshed relationships, individual identity is sacrificed for family togetherness. In genogram notation, enmeshment is shown with three parallel lines. Also called "fusion" or "very close" relationship.
Estrangement: A state of alienation or separation between family members, often involving reduced or no contact. Similar to cutoff but may be less complete or more recent. Represented the same way as cutoff in genogram notation.

F

Family Diagram: Murray Bowen's original term for what is now commonly called a genogram. Bowen used "family diagram" to describe the visual representation of family structure and emotional processes. Some practitioners still prefer this term. See also: Genogram
Family Projection Process: A concept in Bowen Theory describing how parents transmit their emotional problems to a child. The child who receives the most projection typically develops the lowest level of differentiation and may become the identified patient.
Foster Child: A child placed in the temporary care of a family by a social service agency. In genogram notation, foster children are connected to foster parents with a dotted line labeled "F".
Fusion: See Enmeshment. In Bowen Theory, fusion refers to the emotional "stuck-togetherness" where people have difficulty functioning as autonomous individuals.

G

Genogram: A visual representation of a family tree that includes information about relationships, health conditions, and emotional patterns across generations. More comprehensive than a simple family tree, genograms use approximately 100 standardized symbols (Piasecka et al., 2018) to depict family structure (who is related to whom), relationship quality (close, conflictual, distant), and health history (physical and mental conditions). Developed by Murray Bowen in the 1970s and standardized by McGoldrick, Gerson, and Petry (1985, 2008). Genograms are widely used across family therapy, social work, nursing, and medical genetics as a standard assessment tool.
Generation: A level in the family hierarchy representing people born around the same time period. Genograms typically show at least three generations: grandparents, parents, and the current generation (including the identified patient). Horizontal positioning indicates generational level.
Guardian (Legal): A person with legal responsibility for a child who is not their biological or adopted child. In genogram notation, guardian relationships are shown with a dotted line labeled "G".

H

Health Condition: Physical or mental health issues tracked across family generations in a genogram. Health conditions help identify hereditary patterns and risk factors. Common categories include cardiovascular, mental health, cancer, metabolic, respiratory, and autoimmune conditions. In genogram notation, health conditions are typically shown by shading or filling portions of the symbol. See Quadrant System for WebGeno's specific implementation.
Horizontal Stressor: Current or recent stressors affecting the family, such as illness, job loss, or life transitions. Contrasted with vertical stressors (multigenerational patterns). Understanding both helps assess family functioning.

I

Identical Twins: Twins who developed from a single fertilized egg (monozygotic). In genogram notation, identical twins are shown with lines converging to a single point on the parent line, connected by a horizontal bar. See also: Twins
Identified Patient (IP): The family member who presents with symptoms or is labeled as "the problem" by the family. In family systems theory, the IP's symptoms are viewed as reflecting dysfunction in the entire family system rather than individual pathology. In genogram notation, the identified patient is shown with a double border around their symbol. Also called "index patient" or "presenting problem."
Index Person: The person around whom the genogram is centered, typically the client or identified patient. The genogram is constructed outward from this person to include their family of origin and family of procreation.

L

Legend: A key or guide that explains the symbols used in a genogram. Essential for clear communication, especially when sharing genograms between practitioners or with clients. WebGeno includes a dynamic legend that automatically updates to show only the symbols and health conditions present in the current genogram.
Life Status: An indicator of whether a person in the genogram is living, deceased, or represents a pregnancy outcome. Life status options typically include: living, deceased, pregnancy, miscarriage, stillbirth, and abortion.

M

Marriage: A legally recognized union between partners. In genogram notation, marriage is represented by a solid horizontal line connecting the two partners. Marriage lines can be modified with slashes to indicate separation or divorce.
McGoldrick, Monica: A family therapist and author who, along with Randy Gerson, wrote the definitive text on genogram assessment and interpretation: Genograms: Assessment and Intervention (1985, revised editions 1999 and 2008). McGoldrick standardized genogram notation and expanded its clinical applications.
Miscarriage: Spontaneous pregnancy loss, typically before 20 weeks of gestation. In genogram notation, miscarriage is represented by a small symbol (approximately 10px) connected to the parents.
Multigenerational Transmission Process: A concept in Bowen Theory describing how emotional patterns, behaviors, relationship dynamics, and levels of differentiation are passed down through generations. Genograms are particularly valuable for visualizing these patterns across at least three generations. Research by McGoldrick et al. (2008) emphasizes that viewing multiple generations helps identify recurring patterns.

N

Nuclear Family: The immediate family unit consisting of parents and their children. In genogram construction, the nuclear family is typically placed centrally, with extended family radiating outward.
Nuclear Family Emotional System: A concept in Bowen Theory describing four relationship patterns that manage anxiety in the nuclear family: marital conflict, dysfunction in one spouse, impairment of one or more children, and emotional distance. These patterns can be visualized through genogram emotional relationship lines.

P

Parent-Child Relationship: The vertical connection between a parent and child in a genogram. Different line styles indicate the nature of the relationship: solid for biological, dashed for adopted, dotted with "F" for foster, and dotted with "G" for guardian.
Pregnancy (Current): An unborn child in a genogram. Represented by a symbol (often a triangle or the appropriate gender symbol if known) with a question mark (?) overlay indicating the pregnancy is ongoing.

Q

Quadrant System: A method for displaying health conditions on genogram symbols by dividing the shape into sections, each representing a different category of conditions. WebGeno's implementation uses four inner quadrants (cardiovascular, mental/neurological, cancer, metabolic/endocrine) plus an outer ring for additional categories, with 13 distinct visual patterns for differentiation.

R

Relationship Line: Lines connecting individuals in a genogram that indicate the nature of their relationship. Includes both structural lines (marriage, parent-child) and emotional relationship lines (close, conflictual, distant, etc.).

S

Separation: A state where a married couple is living apart but not legally divorced. In genogram notation, separation is indicated by a single diagonal slash (/) through the marriage line.
Sibling Position: A concept in Bowen Theory drawing on the work of Walter Toman, suggesting that birth order and sibling constellation influence personality and relationship patterns. In genograms, children are arranged left to right in birth order, with the oldest on the left.
Square (Symbol): The genogram symbol representing a male. Standard size is typically 30 pixels in digital genograms. This symbol was established by Murray Bowen in 1978 and remains the universal standard.
Stillbirth: The death of a baby at or after 20 weeks of pregnancy. In genogram notation, stillbirth is represented by a small symbol with an X and "SB" label.

T

Triangulation: A three-person relationship system in which the tension between two people is managed by involving a third person. A key concept in Bowen Theory, triangles are considered the basic building block of emotional systems. When anxiety rises between two people, they often "triangle in" a third person to diffuse tension. Genograms help identify recurring triangles across generations.
Twins: Siblings born from the same pregnancy. In genogram notation, twins are shown with lines that converge to a single point on the parent line. Identical (monozygotic) twins have an additional horizontal bar connecting them; fraternal (dizygotic) twins do not.

U

Union in Fact: See Cohabitation. A relationship where partners live together without legal marriage.

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References

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