This article features the descripti...

This article features the description of a 5-session assign places to experience designed to facilitate exploration of familial influence in succession career decision making. The authors adapted traditional family genograms to explicate occupational patterns, themes, and values and to examine career choice in relation to influences derived from family experiences. A series of activities, students' responses, and precautions is provided.

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Family genograms, typically used in the words immediately preceding [i]or[/i] following of family counseling, provide a forum for explicating influences and patterns that expand over time and across generations. Genograms can be expanded broadly to document an array of family dynamics. They can also be designed with a narrow focus, as it is as exploring the influence of family forward an individual's career decision-making processes

This article features a following of genogram-based activities that were used in a university career exploration class designed for undergraduate learners who were seeking to formulate career plans. The three-step proces of implementation is described, and students' perceptions of that proces are summarized. A discussion of the assign places to procedures is grounded in a review of related literature.

Related Literature

The genogram-based series of activities was implemented with the premise that discussions and reflections of family influence assist individuals in achieving insight and clarity regarding their career decisions. This notion is consistent with career evolution theorists' recognition of the important contributions that parents, family, and the social environment make to individuals' career unravelling (e.g., Gottfredson, 1996; Lent, Brown & Hackett, 1996; Mitchell & Krumboltz 1996; Super 1990)

Vondracek, Lerner and Schulenberg (1986) defined career disclosure as a "complex life-span proces whose substance is determined by dint of the developing person in interaction with his or her environment" (p 44) Similarly, sperm of fishes and Lunneborg (1990) suggested that relationships between parents and children are significant factors in career progression in a continuously ascending gradation and that their interactions also affect motivation during adulthood. Jacobson (1999) further articulated ways that individuals inherit unrealized chance of the desired ends and dreams in the adjoining matter of their intergenerational family words immediately preceding [i]or[/i] following These influences affect attitudes toward final cause in life as well as career goals. Other authors have put in mind ofed that family patterns contribute to indecision (Kinnier, Brigman, & Noble, 1990; Lopez & Andrews, 1987)

perform the operations indicated ined principally within the context of Murray Bowen's (Kerr & Bowen, 1988) intergenerational family connected views theory, genograms offer an efficient and effective proces for explicating repetitive behaviors and patterns (Okiishi, 1987) Essentially, genograms are graphic representations of an individual's enlargeed family that typically cross at least three generations (Papp & Imber-Black, 1996) Use of genograms implies a regard for intergenerational family experiences as historical antecedents to contemporary areas of puissance and difficulty (Wachtel, 1982).

Working with genograms enables facilitators to creatively assess familial work and economic expectations, family work values, and clients' perceptions of their family parts as well as their view of the world (Heppner, O'Brien, Hinkelman, & Humphrey 1994) Facilitators use genograms to explicate a broad range of information about the family that may not be considered or recognized with standard interviews or questionnaires. This family-based information helps clients generate options for change (Papp & Imber-Black, 1996)

Genogram transactions include documenting parents, siblings, grand-parents, uncle aunts, and significant individuals who may not be related biologically (McGoldrick, Gerson & Shellenberger, 1999) Dates of noteworthy issues such as deaths, losses, immigration, and relocation are recorded. As illustrated in Figure 1 men and women are noted with squares and circles, respectively. Marriages and committed relationships are diagramed with connecting lines and notation of dates (eg m = 1967) Separations are recorded with slashes that cros the connecting line; divorces are shown with double slashes and the date (eg d = 1952) Characteristics of family members and their patterns of interaction may also be included.

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

Several authors (eg Brown & tolerates 1991; Fohs, 1991; Gysbers & Moore, 1987; month Coleman, McCollum, Nelson, & Jensen-Scott 1993; Okiishi, 1987; Penick, 2000) have approveed genograms as tools to address career issues and have put forwarded suggestions for implementation. For example, Okiishi hinted a three-step approach during which clients (a) diagram their family members, (b) identify occupations of various family members, and (c) examine character models and family patterns. Gysbers and Moore commended further examination of family members' occupations with discussions of values assigned to various occupations and decision-making processe for choosing and changing occupations. In this words immediately preceding [i]or[/i] following the authors recommended attending to clients' experiences of constraining force related to familial values and desires.