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Ruth Nzimiro
MFT 5104 Treatment Planning and Traditional Family Therapy
Northcentral University
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Bowen Family Therapy Genogram Case analysis to Personal Family Genogram Case Analysis
Family Genogram Overview
The Attached Genogram depicts a family tree illustration of two different families starting from

Grandparents on fathers and mothers’ side down to complete family history on both sides. It closes out

with great grandchildren and grandchildren on immediate family on both fathers and mothers’ side. This

illustration and case analysis may be somewhat vague information due to the fact; child was not and did

not grow with both sides of immediate family both on fathers and mothers’ side. Information included is

speculated and information was provided by family members to complete the genogram. Child in fact was

moved from home to home, country to country, this illustration will show the years and times in which

child is able to incorporate Bowen’s Family therapy into family life case analysis.

Definition of Bowen’s Family therapy:-Bowen’s family Therapy depicts a theory which states that and

studies human behavior in the family as a whole, intertwining the emotions of the family members tied in

together and creates a complexity that states that family as a whole are emotionally connected together.

The pattern of interaction as mentioned by Bowen, within a family can differs from generation to

generation, cultural values play a huge role to incorporate Bowen family therapy which translates into a

family’s genogram. The Family dynamics, interaction and diversity are also of value.

Genogram Analysis: - The family is bigger and extended, on the mother’s side than fathers’ side in the

attached genogram. Certain family members are closer and love each other more than others. Certain

experiences and life events have separated the relationship in both families. The family members on my

mothers’ side are very active within their immediate family, however, during celebrations and

recognitions, observations have always remained special and celebrated. On mothers’ side of genogram

family tree, we have several genetic diseases, questionable behaviors, conflict, and family feud. No recent

deaths. Financial reliance support than the others. Regrets to my observation, not very much supporting

each other unless one family member is more helping than the other. There have been diversity issues

which have rendered several members as enemies and separated the relationship much more than needed.
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For instance, race is a big issue, marriage is another big cultural expectation, especially from the females.

Education is a big valued respected practice in the African culture. Marriage between someone of the

same tribe and culture is a very valued moral because it does require several steps and family

intervention/participation. Lastly the culture of gender, which Is still a recognized African cultural myth

stating that males are superior, and women are inferior, A woman must maintain her place and her value

within the cultural values and expectations of the family. Certain rules are in place which each child,

grandchild is expected to uphold. In some way, there is much pressure expected from cultural values and

morals more from the female than the male. On my father’s side of the family, there isn’t much to say but

that there is very much distance between family members, No communication and less reunions. There is

however a lot of greed, envy, jealousy, more are successful than the others due to reaping the seeds of the

others which have worked hard. Thievery, breaking of cultural morals, values are put on the back burner,

and their relationships are more within the immediate biological families than extended relationships.

From both families, only one grandparent/great grandparent lives. Due to genogram, it is apparent that

lack of actual head of households has created several generations of separation, and more conflicts.

Careers are not really a big thing on both families genogram’s, more of how much education has been

completed and when are you getting married , having children (preferably males) and when will you be

building the next big house in the village so everyone can show off money is the most focused issue. How

the money is made is never recognized, more of a how can one family member support and give to others

even though they may not have the funds to provide to the other.

It is safe to conclude that there are serious dysfunctions on both side of the family, due to geographical

locations and separation of all family members, it has been recognized that more of the immediate family

members are the ones who seem to care more for the relationships between themselves than the extended

family as a whole. According to Bowen’s family therapy, it would be quite a hard session working and

bringing both families together. lack of attendance and availability would pose as an issue. However,
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through his theory, one can safely conclude that it is a possibility, this family Genogram can be a

successfully rejuvenated with the intervention of therapy.

Concepts

Triangles/Triangulation: - According to Bowen’s perspective on this concept, in triangulations in

relations to Bowen’s therapy/ Genogram, this concept indicates a relationship of three persons of close

relationship within a certain immediate family. Usually two are emotionally tied together and are closer to

each other, the third person can be labeled as the odd one out. It can be defined as an unhealthy bond

between three people’s in the family tree. It defines triangulation as a two-person relationship which is

very unstable, it can tolerate conflicts of a minor nature and usually involves a third person who seems to

be the odd one out and is blamed for everything. However, this third person sees the need to remain in the

relationship regardless of how they are being treated. It is usually a relationship where conflicts simmer

more and get more intense. conflicts between this triangulation relationship are never resolved. On my

mother’s side of the family, the relationship between the daughters can be incorporated into this concept.

My mother is usually the one ganged up on and her sisters are close with each other. My mother is the

third person in this relationship, and they expect her to save everyone from all their troubles. However,

when my mother needs help or is experiencing difficulties, they turn their backs on her and ally between

each other. They label my mother as troublesome, unstable person. She becomes the escape goat when

there is mishap.

Differentiation of self: - This concept depicts how a family member seeks the approval of others within

the family. The family member feels the need to act, please and get care deeply from the family. Approval

from the family becomes one of their necessities regardless of personality scrutiny or deformation of

character. This concept is about the need for acceptance from family members. In this concept, the

individual family member is affected by how others feel them, about how they act, think and their

personal life. They are affected by how family perceive them that in some situation, the pressure creates a

reaction of a passive aggressive form from the individual. In reference to my family, the need for
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acceptance is from almost everyone. Cultural values play a huge role in the need for acceptance. A lot of

cousins including myself all go through the phase of rejection, for fear of not living up to the cultural

value expectation. This does cause the loss of one’s self identification and they find themselves

developing a double conscience. This affects self-development and leaves out the potential for the

acceptance to be gained from family members naturally rather than forcefully.

Nuclear Family Emotional System: - This concept depicts the relationships between family members

developed through a more extended form. Attitudes, cultural morals and beliefs play a huge role in this

concept. Focused mostly through emotions between family members from a nuclear extended family.

This concept focuses on the emotional connection developed between family members. Family members

are driven apart due to conflicts and turmoil’s derived from emotional connections between family

members. In reference to my family genogram, the emotional concept would be the belief of marriage

rights and culture. The emotions usually simmer out of control with this factor, which can lead to

conflicts between family members and the ones we love. In some cases, the females cannot help who we

fall in love with, referencing myself, I am not in a relationship with someone from my cultural

background. I have no intentions of ever marrying nor dating someone of my ethnic and cultural

background. This is a negative perception in the eyes of my family both mother and fathers’ side. The

cultural moral expectations require that I marry and have children for someone from Nigeria, preferably

the Igbo culture. However, I have sworn off African men due to the ways in which women are treated

within the culture. This creates a conflict of interest between myself and upper classmen in my family.

Family Projection process: - The family projection concept focuses on the factors in which parents

transfer their emotional problems to their children. This can cause several conflicting behaviors

developed over time in child’s behavior. Children tend to develop emotional, psychological and physical

problems due to the status of emotions derived from the parents. This theoretical concept has 3 factors

that contribute to the emotional inheritance of child from parents, three stages that depicts the concepts

translating into Bowen’s family therapy, (a) the fear of parent towards their child of theory disabilities
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due to their emotions. (b) The confirmation of the fear of child possible disability,(c) The actualization

and acceptance of the child turning into the negative butterfly, which could lead to parents treating them

wrong and unfair, in some way validating their emotional transfer as right even if they are wrong(the

parent). There is no reference to either side of the above genogram family tree, it’s quite hard to pick up

on this concept in relations to my families.

Multigenerational transmission Process: - This concept depicts the process in which differences of one

individual, behavior and characters of another individual, can drags over time, which creates negative

feed within the family. This can also involve the parent child relationship and the differences they can

have due to the way the family perceives their child. They are caught in a hard place where they either

must choose between love from family members or repairing the trust and love of their child. In reference

to my family, there are a lot of estranged relationships, from both mother and father side of genogram,

however it has been observed, the love gained from family members is more important than mending

relationship with the biological child.

Emotional Cutoff: - This concept is about an individual family member managing their emotional status

by emotional detaching themselves from family members with whom they are consistently conflictual. In

my family situation, I have emotionally cutoff myself from my family because I have discovered it is a

healthier path to gain more success and peace within myself and for the sanity of my children.

Sibling Position: - This concept is about the rules in which siblings play in each other’s life, the position

they assume in the family, and the gravitational projection of personality into character. According to

Bowen, the impact siblings have in each other’s lives can affect their behaviors on several levels. In

reference to my family, my sister has always played the first born and first sibling, however I am

recognized as the baby with strength and recognition of higher achievement in the family. My sister has

lived by the virtual values and morals expected; however, I am that child that has developed my own

cultural values but still lives according to geographical expansion and not family expectation.
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Societal Emotional Process: - Societal emotional process is a theory developed by Murray Bowen on

how societal influence can have a great effect on a family members life This effect can translate into the

cultural values of the family lifestyle and expectation. This influence can produce both a positive effect

on the individual’s life and at the same time a negative effect as well. This concept shows how societal

influence can create conflicts between family members. The cultural values and morals are usually

affected by this influence. My family believes that American culture has created such an impact of the

lives of their children, they tend to struggle keeping up to family morals and values and pressure of being

accepted in society. This can develop into more of a problematic behavior of from their individual

children than a progressed perception in which they seek from society.

The Bowen’s family therapy is a system-based approach in different ways. For e.g.

(A) . Bowen’s family therapy can be viewed as a system-based theory because it focuses on the

awareness of the emotional state of a family, how they function emotionally and systematically

progress and heal themselves emotionally, individually and family rejuvenation. An example in

reference to family genogram tree would be the transitional and emotional acquisition of adapting

from one country culture to the other. to the other. This affects the emotional stability of the child

and family

(B) It can be perceived as a system based theory in the sense even though Bowen’s theory focuses on

family recreation and diffusion of anxiety/ conflict between family members, he focuses on the

rejuvenation and self-healing of one’s self rather than trying to change all others involved in the

situation of conflictual situations within the family. Developing a realization of my self-esteem,

helped to establish a clear path for my success and progression. Not being able to know my self-

actualization, through the transit of African culture to American culture, did generate a negative

behavior which led to a rebellious behavior toward my immediate family. The best approach to

treatment would be, seeking a mediation and reconciliation between my families and myself.

Accepting that change can improve the effectiveness of therapy on both family and individual.
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Problem/Issue: The molestation of child by uncles and uncles’ friends in the family (discretion to

reveal which side of the family molested child). From the ages of age 8 to ages 13, I was moved

from house to house, family member to family member. I never had any encounter with my

biological parents till the age of 15. Before the ages of 8, I lived with my grandmother on my

paternal side who raised me toil I was seven. I resided in in the village, I wasn’t the best-looking

kid but as I grew up, I developed into a very attractive young lady. I was sent to live with a

family member and that’s where I encountered several tortures, rape, molestation and constant

sexual abuse. I tried to reach out to family members I thought I could trust and had shown me

love, instead they turned against me. I wasn’t in the United states when this happened, so my

chances of going to the law was slim to none. I couldn’t drive and I lived in the inner suburb’s

parts of the city where, a driver or a car was needed to get to the police station. Nevertheless, the

police in my country are corrupt and probably would have joined in the rape and molestation. I

endured the rape, molestation and torture, I was never educated on sex education. However, I had

seen several shows on how a woman could get pregnant or get sexually transmitted diseases

during encounters like these. I realized these men were using protection, but I also noticed a

fellow family member always gave me pills and took me to the hospital during my menstrual

cycles. They always checked and counted when and if I got my menstrual cycle. They would

give me pills every time I was molested, and they would ask me to use several types of

disinfectant’s and bacterial preventions after every encounter of sexual abuse. I cried almost

every day and wished my grandmother was still alive to save me. I had no one, eventually these

men got tired of me as I got older and moved to the next young girl, they could get their hands

on. I am emotionally damaged, and I find it hard to trust men. I have a very hard time looking or

being friends with men from my country let alone my culture. I don’t like to associate with

family members unless it’s my kids, mum or sister. I don’t like being in the company of

unknown men, they make me paranoid due to my experience. I started to receive help from the

navy after I served, it was like I was a target. On my first tour in the navy, I was raped again, but
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this time justice was done in my favor. I wondered and asked my counselor if women who are

molested and raped have a certain aura, they give out to society especially men. She said no but

for some reason, some perverted men can pick upon vulnerability.

Intervention plan using Gerhart’s theory and treatment plan system: - Trauma treatment, (Gerhart, 2014,

p. 204-205) Identifying and acknowledging that I am not a target with family members who are involved

in this cycle present. Obtaining and agreeing to treatment by the therapists. Client acknowledgement,

client task, client goals, therapeutic plan for one’s self-healing, working progress of client task, wrapping

up client task, results and acknowledgement of therapy.

According to Bowen’s family therapy, healing is about eliminating the anxiety that has obstructed family

dynamics. If this treatment plan was to be suggested, it would go well. Through research and several

observations, I have seen that families are willing to go to therapy if they can go as a whole family.

Individualism and going after the cure for a personal problem, is more difficult to derive results than

going as a whole family. It has been discovered that the more the family members around the breaking

ground of the problem, the easier for the therapist. Bowen’s family therapy is and would have been very

helpful to my family if there was a chance the family could opening speak on terms and admit faults,

acknowledge responsibilities and eliminate anxiety and excess conflicts within the family.
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References

Bowen, M., 1978. Family Therapy in Clinical Practice, NY and London, Jason Aronson.

Bowen, M, 1975. Bowen center for the study of family: The development and dissemination Bowen

Theory, Georgetown University family center.

Gerhart, D,2014. Mastering competencies in Family Therapy: A Practical approach to Theories and

Clinical Case Documentation, 2nd Edition, p. 204-205, CA state university, Northridge.