Family Analysis

For this assignment, you will answer questions about your family, from your perspective. This is intended to give you a starting point in understanding how the course material may be useful to you. Thes questions address different aspects of the family process. You will need to respond to 15 of these questions. Each question is worth 2 points.  You must type your analysis to receive credit and you will be required to turn in a copy of this score sheet for grading purposes.  Papers that are not typed will not be graded and those turned in without a score sheet will lose five points.

1. ________ When there is a birth or adoption, how do members of the family react?
2. ________ When someone has died, how have members of the family reacted?
3. ________ If a family member left the family in another way, what was the response of family members?
4. ________ What types of jobs do family members choose? Do you see any patterns in this?
5. ________ Do you see differences in expectations for family members, based on gender?
6. ________ Do you see differences in expectations for family members, based on age?
7. ________ Do you see differences in expectations for family members, based on roles?
8. ________ Do you see differences in expectations for family members, based on birth order?
9. ________ How do/did family members get along? Did/Do some family members get along better than others?
10. ________ Is anyone in the family particularly helpful or unhelpful to others? (i.e., Who did/do people turn to for help? Who do/did they know not even bother asking?)
11. ________ Are/were there any special talents that anyone has/had in the family?
12. ________ Is/was anyone expected to be especially good or bad at anything?
13. ________ How did/do family members spend their leisure time? Together? Apart?
14. ________ Did/do family members behave differently outside the family? How?
15. ________ What is/was the effect of sibling position in the family (e.g., oldest, youngest, middle)?
16. ________ What were/are sibling relationships like?
17. ________ When a crisis hits, how do family members react? Do you see the rsponse or helpful or hurtful for the family?
18. ________ When there was a special success or triumph in the family, how did family members react?
19. ________ Are/were family members active in religious or community organizations?
20. ________ What is/was the religious and/or spiritual climate of the home?
21. ________ Were/are there any family themes you can identify (e.g., "We are a strong family." "Members of this family are honest, even if it hurts.")?
22. ________ What do you see as the source of the values in your family?
23. ________ What coincidences do you see in the family (e.g., most of the children in this family are born near a Friday the 13th and if they are born on Friday the 13th, they are always boys--an actual coincidence from a student's genogram). Or perhaps you don't see these as coincidences--if this is so, explain.
24. ________ How were family members affected by major historical events (e.g., the war in Vietnam, the civil rights movement of the 50's and 60's)?
25. ________ Where do you see alliances in the family? What contributed to these alliances?
26. ________ What relationships do you see as conflictual? Why do you think they were this way?
27. ________ What relationships do you see as cooperative? Why do you think they were this way?
28. ________ How were family members characterized (e.g., favorite child, leader, follower, peacemaker, troublemaker, etc.). Why was/is this so?
29. ________ Was there any particular moment in the life of a family member when he/she had a dramatic change in how he/she viewed the family?
30. ________ Is there a particular aspect of your family that you see as healthy? Explain?

 +__________ (add up to 5 pts.) points (for well written, thoughtful write-up)

-__________ (minus 5 points if an official grading sheet does not accompany the write-up)

 -__________ (subtract up to 10 pts.) Penalty points for poor writing style -- (e.g., Is the report understandable to the reader? Is it clear? Are there places where you must struggle in order to attempt to understand what has been written? Does the student not use complete sentences?)

 -__________ (subtract 5 points per working day, up to 30 points) Late submission penalty.

 Total __________________

 Go to Syllabus.

 Questions? Contact the course instructor at gilbertk@indiana.edu.

1997-8, Kathleen R. Gilbert, Ph.D. All rights reserved. Last updated January 5, 1999.