Social Work Perspective. Body of Work:Supported with scholarly in-citations from the required course textbook. Required subheading and content followed the course syllabus for : Famil

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Family of Origin & Genogram

Chasity Johnson

Social Work Program, South Carolina State University

Social Work 401: Social Work Practice II

Ms. Jamie Rogers

November 29, 2023

Family of Origin & Genogram

Introduction: My name is Chasity Johnson. I was raised in Santee and Bowman, SC. I am 23 years of age. I would consider myself observant and reserved. In my free time, I enjoy sleeping, spending time with my family, and watching television. My goals consist of graduating with a bachelor's in social work. Then I obtained my master's within a year or two and became licensed while working for the Department of Social Services. After completing the master's program and working for the Department of Social Services for a couple of years, I will then branch off to another job.

I have four siblings: two sisters who are twins, a middle brother, and an older sister concluding me as the second oldest. My immediate family includes my father, mother, paternal grandmother, and relatives on the paternal side. While growing up as a child, my three sisters and I lived with both our mother and father. I fall within my immediate family by being there for everyone. In both my adolescent and young adult years, my parents divorced, and my three siblings and I lived with our mother.

The closeness and connections within my immediate paternal side of the family are in good condition. My paternal side of the family gives me good advice when I do need it; they are loving and very supportive of everything. The parent that I am closest to is my father. I can see that we have similar traits in common. I can go to my father about anything with free judgment.

I am not too close to my maternal side of the family. While growing up, I have seen examples of my relatives that I would like to be different from. Although there are family gatherings and events, I go to, I don’t engage with that side of the family like my paternal side.

I will identify my family’s socio-economic circumstances at the middle level. While growing up, we didn’t live in poverty, but there were times when both of my parents had to work two to three jobs at a time to support my siblings and me. As I get older, I begin to realize the sacrifices my parents made for my siblings.

Family Roles

Family roles that I played in my family are the enabler and the hero. I chose the role enabler because I feel as though I am the relative that keeps the family together, solving everyone problems and putting their needs before my own. As a enabler it comes with pros and cons. The pros consist of being the family support system and to helping a relative choosing a positive alternative in a situation. Cons include being overwhelmed with the families’ situations. Being the hero of both sides of my family I take pride in it. The hero role describes as an individual being ambitious and disciplined. As the family hero, both sides of my family take pride in myself and all my achievements I have accomplished so far. My family gives me my flowers and always tell me that they are proud of me. I am also a first-generation college student on both sides of my family, and I’m always motivated to finishing school being that my parents didn’t attend college. Pros of being the hero of the family is setting good examples for my siblings to follow. A con would include feeling as though often not doing enough in the views of family.

The person who impacted my values, beliefs and personal characteristics is my father. My father has inspired me to be open minded and patient for the future. He is also the most generous person that I know and that is a characteristic that I have gained from him. As far as the world view, he taught me a simple thing such as looking around your surroundings and to paying close attention to the people that you keep around being that the world is so much different from when he grew up. My interests and abilities include of being independent, working hard and not having to rely on anyone. Those interests and abilities were impacted on my mother. When my parents divorced, I noticed my mother handled everything on her own as a single parent.

Family Goal

A family goal would include to maintaining the family home that has been passed down from generations. My grandmother on my maternal side of the family has a home that she would like to inherit to my mother then to my cousin and I. She states that she is passing the home down to my cousin and I being that we are more responsible than our other relatives. This goal has affected my family because it has conflicted my relationship with my other relatives being that they feel a certain type of way. However, our relatives do understand the house will be in the best care in the hands of my cousin and me. Also, as well to maintaining the family house.

Religious Belief:

As a child, my family instilled Christianity in both my relatives and me. My relatives and I would be active in the church by singing on the youth choir, a praise dancer and going to Sunday school every Sunday. My family moral beliefs include to having faith and trusting in God. My family ethnic identity is we all identify as African Americans.

Family Rules and Regulations:

My family rules would include to respecting your elders, keeping family business in the family and to having goals within self. An expectation will include for example, the older relatives are suggesting that as a young adult, to either being employed or attending college. My aunts, uncles and grandmother’s boundaries are to only inviting immediate friends and family to our home when there are occasions. Therefore, no outside friends are allowed at our home. Family values will include spiritually love for God and all people. Social value includes politeness and respect. Lastly, my family value quality time.

Family Sub-Systems

The subsystem found within my family is the parental subsystem. Being that my parents divorced, they have still comprised as individuals. I chose the parental subsystem because my parents both parents made sure they interacted with my siblings and me. The behavior within the family was neutral, it was no chaos.

Family Communication

Communication within my family wasn’t always great. Before there were times whereas my family did have unhealthy habits when communicating. For instance, if my siblings and I wanted to voice our opinion on a situation within our parents, our parents will take it as disrespect. However, as the years go by the communication within everyone in the family has improve. We can now communicate effectively and voicing our thoughts in a respectful way. The expressions of emotions are tended to be brushed away being that everyone does lack in expressing their emotions. Decision – making patterns are in great condition. The time to decide is to first speak to our grandmother and she will then determine the best decision to make.

Family Conflict and Authority

When there is a conflict within the family, the family will address the conflict with my grandmother. She will then handle the situation at her best interests. My family relies on her because she comes up with the best solutions to every problem. Also, she handles the differences and conflicts with all the family members.

Family Events

The family crisis includes the death of my uncle and grandfather on my maternal side. To include a trauma event will be my aunt having a stroke whereas it affected her brain. Those crisis and trauma were handled by not dwelling on it too much. Thus, I have watched my grandmother handled those situations quite well and other relatives. Honestly, it has affected the family and they have not been able to properly grieve or manage the crises effectively. However, those events have brought the family closer.

Family Impacts

One family life cycle event includes the Boomerang Phase. According to (page 129) … this phase happens when a child leaves home and the child returns to the home. From reading the page, I have learned about myself that this phase teaches an individual more financial stability and independence after returning home. I am the child in this situation, but instead of the parent it is my maternal grandmother. Although, I live with my grandmother I try to help her financially and respect the rules of her house. Changes that I have noticed from this life cycle event is her being overwhelmed with supporting my sick aunt and her children and her health declining. To include another life cycle event will be my parents’ separation and divorce. My parents’ separation and divorce life cycle disruption took place when I was 16. Referencing from chapter 4, when parents’ divorce, it can affect children and can impact a psychological toll. After reading chapter 4, I have learned that my parents’ divorce did affect me and I can see that it still affects me as an adult. The changes that I can see from the divorce is all my siblings being separated as well and not having a close bond as before.

Family Strengths

My family strengths will include strong commitment to each other, supported of within each other and have a sense of spiritual well-being. The one thing that I love the most about my family is regardless of what we are going through, we always stick together. My family and I have a strong commitment to each other. Whenever anyone needs something, we always look out for each other. To include, whether it’s a celebration or something small, we always support and uplift each other. As a family, it’s always important to have a strong sense of spiritual well-being. Nonetheless, through the tough times we have endured as a family, we continue to being positive and praying.

Conclusion

Growing up my family experiences influence me as individual today by creating a different mindset for me. I have the mindset of wanting different for myself and for my future children. My family experiences, the good and bad inspired to keep going. There were family experiences that could easily create a bias that could affect how I deal with clients. The experiences may include a parent not being a good fit and requiring treatment services. However, keeping those biases to myself will help not having an issue to dealing with a client.

Genogram

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