Using famous families as case studies, this book explains how to draw, interpret and apply the genogram, a graphic way of organizing information gathered during a family assessment. It explains how the use of genograms can bring to light a family's history of divorce, suicide, or estrangement, revealing inter-generational patterns that are more than coincidental. Widely used in the training of health and mental health professionals, this work is an introduction to the principles of family systems theory. This edition has been updated and expanded to include developments in genogram use.