Genograms have their own language – a language of squares, circles, and lines that at first glance resembles technical drawings and on second glance reveals a surprising amount about human life together. Here you will find all the important symbols according to McGoldrick and Gerson.

Person Symbols

The basic symbols of a genogram represent persons – and already here one notices that the inventors had a preference for geometric clarity:

Symbol	Male (square)
□	Male (square)
○	Female (circle)
◇	Gender unknown (diamond)
✕	Deceased (X through the symbol)
	Index person (double border)

The index person is the one at the centre of the genogram exploration – usually the patient or client. They are the point of departure from which one reads the family map.

Relationship Lines

Horizontal lines between two persons represent the nature of the partnership:

Symbol	Married (solid line)
——	Married (solid line)
—/—	Separated (line with single slash)
—//—	Divorced (line with double slash)
- - -	Engaged (dashed line)
····	Partnership (dotted line)

Partnerships are always represented horizontally, with children connected downward via vertical lines.

Relationship Qualities

Beyond the nature of the partnership, the emotional quality of the relationship is frequently depicted:

Symbol	Close relationship (double line)
═	Close relationship (double line)
……	Distant relationship (dotted line)
/\/\/\	Conflictual relationship (zigzag line)
—❘—	Relationship cutoff (interrupted line)

Relationship qualities can change over the course of time – as anyone who has ever spent Christmas with their family can confirm. In a digital genogram they can be updated accordingly with ease.

Special Markers

Genograms also use special markers for particular circumstances: adoption (dashed line to the adoptive parents), foster care (dashed line with annotation), twins (converging diagonal lines), pregnancy (small triangle) and miscarriage (small X).

Tips for Reading Genograms

When reading a genogram, begin with the index person and work upward through the generations. Pay particular attention to recurring patterns in relationship qualities and life events – the most interesting insights are often concealed in the repetitions that a family considers coincidence.