Vocab Basics
A visual map showing family relationships and patterns across generations.
What is a genogram?
A group of non-related people who function as a family by choice
What is a Chosen family?
This family type consists of two parents and their biological children.
What is a nuclear family?
A job requiring minimal experience, typically the first step in a career.
What is an entry-level position?
A document summarizing your education, skills, work experience, and qualifications.
What is a resume?
The shared sense of 'who we are' as a family made up of stories, routines, and roles.
What is family identity?
A recurring event or practice that reinforces family connection and meaning.
A family headed by one parent, either by choice or circumstance.
What is a single parent family?
A sequence of education and work experiences leading to a specific career goal.
What is a career pathway?
People, usually former employers or teachers, who can vouch for your character and work ethic.
What are references?
A rule or limit that regulates contact and interaction inside and outside the family.
What is a boundary?
A signal and response cycle in which behavior or information causes adjustments in the system.
What is a feedback loop?
A family that includes grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins living together or nearby.
What is an extended family?
Structured on the job training combined with classroom instruction.
What is an apprenticeship?
A formal letter introducing yourself to an employer and explaining your interest in a position.
What is a cover letter?
A small unit within the family system, like the parental or sibling group.
What is a subsystem?
An unexpected life event that is not part of the typical life course, like sudden job loss.
What is a nonnormative transition?
What is a blended family?
A group of occupations and industries with similar skills and interests.
What is a career cluster?
A collection of work samples, certificates, and achievements demonstrating your qualifications.
What is a portfolio?
The tendency of a family to maintain stable patterns and resist change.
What is homeostasis?
A symbol or object like a recipe, book, or song that carries family meaning?
What is an heirloom?
The biological process of sexual maturation during adolescence.
What is puberty?
Official government permission to practice a profession.
What is licensure?
Essential abilities for a job, including both technical and soft skills.
What are key skills?