In the early 1900s, Frank Parsons gave young men at Boston’s Vocation Bureau a list of 113 questions and a Hilroy scribbler (or blank sheets) in which to record their answers. Questions 3-15 pertained to their geographical, ancestral, and familial-occupational roots.[1] Fast-forward over 100 years and these kinds of questions are still being asked, albeit in very different ways. Storlie, Lara Hilton, McKinney, & Unger’s 2019 study uses a variation of family genograms in a career-related manner. Family genograms are used in a broad range of fields including family therapy, medicine, genetic research, social work, and education. Genograms provide a more comprehensive representation of family dynamics than a traditional family tree. They may include symbols that depict family structure, medical history, mental health issues, social relationships, communication patterns, and other factors that can affect family dynamics.
A family career genogram focuses on the career and educational paths of family members. By analyzing this information, clients can gain insights into how certain patterns or values related to career may have influenced their own decision making in education and work.
Storlie and colleagues examined the influential role of familial career and education patterns on post-secondary students with undeclared majors. Their research question asked, “How do exploratory students[2] generate meaning through family career genograms in developing their career story?”
Participants were recruited through a career education course for post-secondary students with undeclared majors that included a family career genogram assignment. The researchers interviewed 18 students and analyzed the data using the constant comparative method, an approach to finding themes in interview/written statements. Five themes emerged from this qualitative analysis characterizing how participants generated meaning through family career genograms in developing their career story. The five themes included:
- Recognizing gender and generational Differences
- Acknowledging family support and values
- Negotiating not knowing
- Imagining an inspirational new path
- Understanding the world of work
According to Storlie and colleagues, these themes signify the participant’s journey from observing family patterns in the genogram, to reflecting on novel perspectives in light of an educational and career-related uncertainty, to developing greater self-awareness as a step towards taking action and making decisions.
Implications: CDPs with a strong understanding of postmodern/constructivist counselling and the ethical/cultural concerns accompanying genogram work can use family career genograms to invite clients to analyze and understand the impact of familial career and education patterns on their own career development. With these new understandings, clients can craft their own career narrative and explore fresh perspectives in the context of educational and career uncertainty.
[1] Parsons, F. (1908). Choosing a vocation. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
[2] Post-secondary students with undeclared majors.
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