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 17 structural types, 7 child connection types, and 25 emotional overlays.
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 (17 Types)
These define the family structure—who is married to whom, partnership types, and intimate relationships.
Marriage
Solid double line
Divorce
Double line + two slashes
Separation (Legal)
Double line + L
Separation (Physical)
Double line + P
Annulment
Double line + A
Widowed
Double line + X
Cohabitation
Dashed line
Engagement
Dotted line
Dating
Light dotted line
Life Partner
Solid single line
Affair
Wavy line
One-night Stand
Dotted wavy
Rape
Red arrow line
Parent-Child
Vertical line
Association
Generic link line
Unknown
Dotted line
Child Connection Types (7 Types)
Define how children are connected to parents—biological, adopted, foster, or through assisted reproduction.
Biological
Biological child
Adopted
Legally adopted
Foster
Foster placement
Step
Stepchild
Surrogate
Born via surrogate
Sperm Donor
Sperm donor conception
Egg Donor
Egg donor conception
Twins & Multiples
GenogramAI supports fraternal and identical twins, triplets, and higher-order multiples using standard V-shaped notation.
Fraternal Twins
Dizygotic - V-shaped connection
Identical Twins
Monozygotic - V with bar
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 (25 Types)
Emotional overlays show the quality of relationships. These are drawn as curved lines that arc above the structural connections. Organized into 4 categories.
Positive (5 types)
Double green line - warm, supportive
Solid green line - harmonious
Triple green line - enmeshed
Pink line with circles - obsessive fixation
Teal line with circles - platonic
Negative/Tension (8 types)
Two dashed red lines
Red zigzag line
Tight red zigzag
Three dashed red lines
Black line with X marks
Triple green + red zigzag
Double green + red zigzag
Dashed gray + red zigzag
Distance/Disconnection (4 types)
Dotted gray line
Dashed gray line
Gray line with T-bar break
Dotted gray with X
Abuse/Control (6 types)
Black arrow line
Red arrow line
Black arrow line
Red arrow + double slash
Gray arrow with circle
Purple arrow line
Dashed purple arrow
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.