In discussing the relationship shown in the family genogram, it’s evident that both Marshall and Cynthia have extended families originating from grandparents. The Marshall family seems to have good relationship with each other. Even the half-brother of Marshall is treated well in the family and has been given leadership roles that he takes care of the family affairs in periods when their parents are not around. Though he is half-brother to Marshall, he is given the education he needs and provided for well. Marshall also seems to be close to his parents as they spend some quality time on trips together and he is allowed to take time off for holidays to visit his paternal grandparents who are now deceased.
The relationship between Marshall and Cynthia seems to be one that is as strong as it started when they were still young. It has grown for many years now since they got married and have three kids now: Sylvia, Jonathan, and Torrance. Though the relationship between Marshall and Cynthia is so strong, there is some strained relationship between Marshall and Cynthia’s father, William. William is staunch Christian and believes in getting married the church way. Therefore, having gotten Cynthia pregnant before he wedded her meant that Marshall broke the Christian rules of Cynthia’s family’s religious beliefs. This created a major conflict between Marshall and William.
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Another family issue arising is that of power. Traditionally, the man is the head of the famil y , but in some instances where they are single parenting, then the only parent available makes all decisions. There is an incident of a tag of war between Marshall and Cynthia on who is the ultimate decision maker when it comes to their daughter. Marshall thinks that as she is turning sixteen she is in a position to make her own decisions and be trusted to make good choices concerning her life. He also does no t see anything wrong with Sylvia having a phone. In his opinion, he says that they have instilled in her the good morals and taught her how to be responsible and therefore they should let her socialize freely. However, Cynthia does not agree with him and thinks that letting Sylvia out at late hours and giving her a phone or even letting her socialize freely will affect their daughter’s growth and morals. Therefore, here we see how power in decision making can put families in discord. This is the same thing that happened when Marshall put Cynthia in the family way. Cynthia’s father was so angry and never approved of their relationship as per his religion and that has been an impediment to his relationship with Marshall. Personally, I think at this age and generation, all parents can do is to instill good morals in their children and give them space to make their own decisions and grow socially. Giving them restrictions and curfews is not the right direction to take and it only adds to their curiosity and desire to know why they are being controlled and what happens when the boundaries are crossed. Regarding who has power in family, I think it is important to come into an agreement as the family is a unit no one can be family alone therefore there should be no power play.
Through the analysis of the family genogram, we observe several patterns, for instance, Cynthia’s family is one that is so religious. Her father William is a pastor and their mother Patricia works with the women ministry in the church parish. This is why Cynthia grew up in a family that preserves the traditional gender roles. His father expected her to be married before she got pregnant, thus why William thinks Marshal betrayed their faith and beliefs. Marshals family are not so much rooted into religion but are of the current social generation that believes in generational integration and embracing changes.
All the families as presented in this genogram have almost similar values of togetherness and being close to each other. The family unity is one that has been depicted though with small variations which can be accepted. Religion and love have been strongly represented by the family as they look to provide moral support to their young ones. The family communication links seems to have some issues as there are some conflicts here and there, for instance Marshal and Cynthia have some disagreement about their daughter. These are however common conflicts that are observed within the family unit (Parker, 2009). There is also the issue of Cynthia’s father not being in good terms with Marshall despite the fact that the incident that caused the rough patch in their relationship happened many years back.
The families have a poor way of handling stress with characters that get anxious and angry for long periods of time without resolving. Marshall and Cynthia have been having conflicts regarding how to raise their daughter, but they have failed to agree and come to an understanding. The couple has also been unable to finalize on their relocation due to interference from Cynthia’s father and this has caused even more conflict which they have been unable to resolve.
After examination of this family genogram, I can say that it has helped me to understand that families have different religious beliefs and moral perspectives. This will enable me to avoid misinterpretation of families in terms of their social bonds and be able to understand instances where families may have their difference but can agree to raise their kids together .
Further information that would be required is whether Marshall and Cynthia were finally able to resolve their issues regarding their daughter’s upbringing, and their relocation to another town. It would also be good to know if Marshall and his father-in-law mended their relationship and how they did it.
If given a chance to work with this family, I would use cognitive behavioral therapy in helping the family understand that difference in opinions does not necessarily mean disagreement (Barlow, Gorman, Shear , & Woods, 2000). People may have different opinions in a family concerning a certain matter but still have a common viewpoint. Another issue is forgiveness; people cannot purport to be God’s messengers of love and fail in forgiving our own human brothers (Frame, 2000). Therefore, it is only important that people forgive each other so that they can heal from the past.
References
Barlow, D. H., Gorman, J. M., Shear, M. K., & Woods, S. W. (2000). Cognitive-behavioral therapy, imipramine, or their combination for panic disorder: A randomized controlled trial. Jama , 283(19), 2529-2536.
Frame, M. W. (2000). The spiritual genogram in family therapy. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 26(2), 211-216.
Parker, L. (2009). Disrupting power and privilege in couple’s therapy. Clinical Social Work Journal, 37(3), 248-255.
