Genogram Assignment Analysis

When the genogram assignment was given, I was resentful to do it because I already had a vague idea of my family’s background. I understood the reason behind the assignment, but I strongly dislike talking about my family, especially to people I am not particularly close to. Although I did not learn any additional valuable information about my family, being able to organize what I was aware of aided me in my reflection. I recognize now that my closest relationship is to my mom, yet I do not feel comfortable going to her or anyone for any problems. That stems back to how I was raised, by multiple babysitters since my parents were focused on paying the bills. I wouldn’t say that I became more independent, but instead, closed off from others; this also relates to my siblings. I am a middle child of six, and up until high school I was constantly put down and bullied by my brothers. This tremendously affected my self-esteem and my relationships with them and others throughout my life. To this day, I feel restricted in what I do and say, and it is the one of the reasons behind why I began living in the world of literature. My mom was always the one to take me to the library and attempted to bring me out of my own space when she could. Now I have the means
to do it on my own and is something that I consciously have to do, to work on myself. Moreover, my mom is primarily the person whom my aspirations and goals in life are inspired from.
She introduced the idea of the OB/GYN profession to me when I was in middle school and since then that has been the career path I wish to pursue. She has shaped my views on many subjects from career choices to personal relationships and others. She’s done this for me by constantly telling me stories and offering advice and moral lessons along with it; I find it annoying at times, but there is a meaning behind it all. Unfortunately, I have a rat racer’s attitude towards life as well, this comes from my mom and society. I find it difficult to enjoy aspects of life as they are presented to me, and instead focus on the
future. Furthermore, on a genetic level, I am aware that I must watch for diseases within myself and my future children. Most of the diseases that are known come from my mom’s side, and she does not know all of them. This is because her mom had the superstition that if she told my mom about it then it will develop in us. I recognize that I need to keep a close check on my health and constantly work towards a healthier lifestyle in order to decrease my chances of getting one diagnosed with a disease. In addition, my happiness level is 50% determined by my genetics (I fact I learned in my Freshman Seminar class), and therefore I must work to enhance that level as much as possible. The beginning of improvements starts with recognition; I am an introvert, a rat racer, but I have the power to change my circumstances. In my short time in college, I have already learned new skills to help me grow and to become increasingly aware, and I know that process will continue beyond.