Relationships
Structural and emotional connections
Relationships in genograms come in two types: structural (family bonds like marriage and parent-child) and emotional (the quality of relationships). GenogramAI supports 26 different relationship types.
Creating Relationships
Structural Connections
- 1Press C for Connection tool
- 2Click on first person's connection handle
- 3Drag to second person
- 4Release to create connection
- 5System auto-detects type based on generation
Emotional Overlays
- 1Press E for Emotional tool
- 2Click on first person
- 3Drag to second person
- 4Select emotional type from menu
- 5Overlay appears on existing line
Structural Relationships
These define the family structure—who is married to whom, who are the parents, etc.
Marriage
Standard married couple
Engagement
Engaged to be married
Cohabitation
Living together unmarried
Legal Partnership
Civil union/domestic partnership
Separation
Legally separated
Divorce
Legally divorced
Widowed
Spouse deceased
Annulment
Marriage annulled
Parent-Child
Biological parent-child
Adopted
Adopted child
Foster
Foster child
Twin
Twin siblings
How Relationship Types Are Determined
- Same generation: Defaults to Marriage (horizontal line)
- Different generation: Defaults to Parent-Child (vertical line)
- To change: Click the relationship line, then select type from Inspector
Emotional Relationships
Emotional overlays show the quality of relationships. These are drawn as curved lines that arc above the structural connections.
Close
Warm, supportive relationship
Very Close
Deeply bonded
Fused
Enmeshed, over-involved
Distant
Emotionally distant
Cut-Off
No contact
Conflict
Hostile relationship
Violence
Physical abuse present
Abuse
Abusive relationship
Neglect
Emotional neglect
Controlling
Dominant/controlling
Jealousy
Jealous dynamic
Manipulation
Manipulative behavior
Focus On
Excessive focus/attention
Caretaker
Caregiving relationship
Positive
- • Close
- • Very Close
- • Caretaker
Concerning
- • Fused/Enmeshed
- • Distant
- • Controlling
- • Focus On
Harmful
- • Conflict
- • Violence
- • Abuse
- • Cut-Off
Editing Relationships
Change Type
Click on any relationship line to select it. Use the Inspector panel to change the relationship type from the dropdown menu.
Delete
Select the relationship line and press Delete or Backspace.
Add Notes
Relationships can have notes attached. Select the line and use the Inspector to add context about the relationship dynamic.