My Genograms Essay

With all of the influences within the world, it can often be difficult to determine who we are and how we became the person that we are today. Although many people believe that from the time we are born, we begin to develop our own personal identities that will differentiate us from everyone else within the world, others believe that our identities are a consequent of the influences that we encounter throughout our lives.

There’s various things that describes everyone, but there’s only a few things that make each and every one of us unique, which is, our cultural background. As far as cultural background, it defines the individual’s upbringing. The cultural background includes ones religion, race, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic factors, linguistic and values. These values can be shaped by family, friends, society, or authoritative level. This paper is a great way for one to define my identity or at least understand who I am.

The ways in which a family communicates messages with each other plays a key role in shaping the lives of each individual family member. Humans have always belonged to and identified with their families even before they could speak or form any other social group. Family members not only rely on each other to be there for emotional and social support, but also shape how individuals identify themselves. Therefore, the quality of family relationships greatly impacts the quality of life for most people. (Koerner & Schrodt, 2014)

A major part of one’s identity involves a system of morals and beliefs which are too influenced though one’s culture and experiences in life. The

A genogram is a tool utilized in health care to help better understand a person’s family history. Similar to a family tree, a genogram looks at genetic influences, but it is also a “depiction of family structure and dynamics, particularly the in the context of transgenerational patterns” (Chrzastowski, 2011). A genogram typically goes back three generations and can cover topics such as, religion, culture, family relationships, communication styles, health and illness, etc. Genograms help us to understand how a person’s family’s history helps to shape and influence their present situation and any potential future situations. It is a useful tool in providing family-centered care. In psychiatric-mental

It is clear that there are many things that shape people’s identity. It could be family, surrounding, culture and many other things. These things help people to become who they are and affect the way they see the world around them. The question what shapes the identity is discussed in the works “Selection from love 2.0: How our Supreme Emotion Affects Everything We Feel, Think, Do, and Become” by Barbara Frederickson, “The Naked Citadel” by Susan Faludi, and “The Myth of the Ant Queen” by Steven Johnson. The authors view this question from different perspectives. However, there is one common thing that could be seen in all the three works. The authors prove that person’s identity is mostly shaped by interaction with other people and the

What makes us “unique”? That, my friend, would be experiences. There is no better method to get to know a person than exploring, or at the very least, acknowledging their experiences. With that in mind, I often refer to my identity as a complex structure that encompasses biological, and psychological influences, but my family and social dynamics are what make my experiences distinctive. I am a combination of Africa’s history, tribal dances, poverty, suppression, privileges, stereotypes, and role models. In this paper, I will answer the blooded questions, which will reflect my understanding of self-identity

The public self is often times not the true self. This indication of a difference between the public and true self leads to the idea that the self and identity of an individual are different concepts. The self, is a person’s essential being that makes each individual unique compared to others; whereas the identity, is a person’s character that is essentially created to help the individual fit into society. These two concepts begin to form early in life through influences from society, family, and culture. However, as the individual beings to assimilate the world around them, their sense of identity transforms in order to adapt to the new environment, while their sense of self remains the same.

My family is the most important foundation in my life. They are always there to support me and tell me when I’m wrong. In my genogram, I displayed a strong connection with my mother and a conflicted

What makes a person who they are? Is it a collection of the clothes they wear, the way they treat people, what cereal they eat, and the kind of choices they make? Or is it something deeper? Is a person a reflection of their culture and community, a simple reflection of the ideals of their race, religion, or creed? I believe it’s a combination of all these thigs. Identity is a delicate web, combined of many different factors culminating in a beautiful unique expression of humanity. The choices one makes as an individual, combined with the impact- of cultural institutions build the complete person the way a solid foundation and sound construction makes a good house. In our culture, for some reason, certain foundations are considered better than others. A select few are hailed as the standard, while everyone else are labeled as “other”. By luck of the draw, some people enjoy a happy home while others, are constantly hinder attack. This is a system that most people have been taught to accept. But what happens when the house is razed to the ground?

Completing this genogram proved to be much harder than expected. This is because my most of my family members do not work any longer and those who do work do not have formal careers; so much as they have temporary jobs. The lack of careers is due to a lack of higher education in my family history. Higher education was not much of an option for my parents and grandparents. In fact, my sister and I are the only members of my family to hold a degree higher than an Associate’s Degree on my mother’s side of the family.

The objective of doing the genogram is to get to know the patient by gaining understanding of his/her family background. Assessing the family using systemic approach enables health care providers to learn about the ways in which family members interact, what are the family expectations and norms, how effective is the members communication, who makes decisions and how the family deals with life time stressors (Hockenberry & Wilson, 2007). This paper outlines the assessment and analysis of the three generation of Wits’ and Smiths’ families, its relationship, health pattern, habits, tradition and structure. It also provides a nursing teaching plan. The interview was conduced with Alina Wit, a second generation mother of three.

For the Genogram assignment, I’ve gained a better understanding on who I am as a person and where some of my characteristics stem from. Often times, when comparing oneself to a sibling or relative, we only look at the physical appearances, me included. After completing my family’s Genogram, I’ve also learned more about my family then I did previously. Who knew my Great Grandfather and Great Grandmother had nineteen siblings combined! My Great Grandfather had nine and my Great Grandmother had ten. Throughout this paper, I will discuss my family’s historical, cultural, lifestyle patterns and how these factors impact me.

In most case, identity is shaped by culture. Since culture is a set of ideals life practices, routines and attitudes set up by a certain community hence culture plays a major role in shaping the identity of an individual. An individual’s character and attributes can be because of their background. This is due to the set up that one has grown up (Dumas 19). People tend to learn more about their culture, and as they grow up it becomes part of them. They embrace the culture’s beliefs and tend to do things following the set routines. The aspect of following the set routine and beliefs play a significant part in shaping the identity of an individual.

Not one person is like the other. Ranging from different appearances, to morals, to lifestyles people are living dissimilar lives. Interestingly though, these various lives cannot be replicated by anyone else. Every person seen walking down the street has their own story, something that sets them apart from the rest of the millions of people in the world. Whether that is from being faced with different hardships, opportunities or times of change each individual has their own accounts that are unique. However, these individual stories contribute in defining who a person is. Coming from diverse upbringings, cultures, values and goals there are a surplus of traits that influence the individualism of one’s identity. Unfortunately, too often there is failure to listen or recognize that each person has a unique story waiting to be heard. Understanding the way family, ethnic backgrounds, morals and goals mold a person can provide insight to how distinctive each individual is. By taking the time to listen what is important to a person can provide insight to how they identify themself. And in the process unravel a truly extraordinary story.