How to draw emotional relationships on a genogram

Emotional lines show the quality of a relationship, separate from how people are related. You can draw one between any two people, and change it to any of more than 40 types.

Works the same on iPhone, iPad and Mac.

Step by step

1. 1

   Select the first person

   Tap one of the two people. Six round buttons appear around them.

2. 2

   Drag the red heart to the other person

   Drag from the red outlined heart (Emotional Line, lower left) onto the second person, or tap the heart and then tap them. A Close line is drawn.

3. 3

   Change the type

   Tap the new line to open its panel and pick the type. Standard (McGoldrick-style) types include Close, Fused, Distant, Hostile, Close & Hostile, Cutoff, Cutoff Repaired, Focused On, Caretaker and Emotional, Physical or Sexual Abuse. More groups cover positive bonds, hostility and violence, abuse and control (including neglect), attention and affairs.

4. 4

   Fix direction and shape

   For one-way types such as Focused On, use Swap direction. Tap the line to add a bend, or use Add bend at midpoint, so it doesn’t cross other lines.

5. 5

   Delete a line

   Select it and tap the trash button in the toolbar (Delete on iPhone), or press Delete on a keyboard.

Tips

Related guides

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