Mansfield University Home PageEach student will develop a “Life Book” which includes written autobiographical information, photographs, drawings/collages, mementos, and other elements that serve to tell your story. The purpose of the Life Book is to have you closely examine your personal, family, social, and cultural background(s), relationships, important events and experiences that have shaped your life. It is our belief that social work requires the worker to be self-aware of personal issues, values, biases, and assumptions that have potential impact on relationships with clients.
All written portions of the Life Book are to be typed, double spaced, with at least 1-inch margins.
You will need a 3-ring binder or scrapbook for this assignment. You may also wish to get some photo album pages containing pocket for photographs.
The Life Book is to be divided into the following sections:
Section I: Family Composition & Background
1. Create a 3-generation genogram. Include names, birth dates, marriages, and death dates, education, employment, any health issues, and relationship patterns for each family member. The 3 generations to include are the generation of you and your siblings, your parents’ generation, and your grandparents’ generation. If you have children, include them as a fourth generation.
If your family composition is such that you do not know the information about your biological parents or grandparents, indicate that on your family tree, and include the requested information as it relates to your family of socialization, and how you became a part of that family system. If you have a background with both biological and social families, include both family trees.
2. Father page: Write a narrative about your father’s:
| a) birth order | f) what you most admire/d about him |
| b) place of birth & economic status as a child | g) what concerns/ed you most about him |
| c) educational attainment | h) what he would claim as his proudest accomplishment |
| d) occupation(s) | i) attach a photograph of your father |
| e) how he met your mother |
3. Mother page: Same as father page
If you have adoptive parents, step-parents, foster parents, or other parental figures, make a page for each of them that contains the same information.
4. Sibling page(s):
For each of your siblings (whether full, half, step, foster, or other), include a photograph of each sibling if possible. Write a narrative in which you tell:
a) their place in the birth order
b) how their birth order has shaped them and their family experience
c) their role in the family
d) how they are like your family
e) how they are different from your family
f) what they expect from you and your family
g) what your family expects from them
5. Self page(s): Write a narrative in which you tell:
a) your place in the birth order
b) how your birth order has shaped you and your family experience
c) your role in the family
d) how you are like your family
e) how you are different from your family
f) what you expect from your family
g) what your family expects from you
6. Home page:
Make a page that tells about the dwelling place(s) you call (and have called) “home.” Indicate the location of each dwelling place, when you lived there, and your age while living there. What memories do those places have for you? What life lessons do you associate with those locations?
If possible (really try!), attach photographs of your home(s).
Section II: Your Family of Friends
Identify the relationships that lie outside your family system that have had significant impact on your development. (Examples may be: friends, baby sitters, teachers, coaches, troop leaders, pastors, mentors, etc.). For each member in your “family of friends,” indicate who the person is, in what context (where, when, how) you knew him/her, the nature of your relationship, and how the individual contributed to your life.
Include a photograph of each individual.
Section III: Life Time Line
Prepare a time-line of your life. Include 7-10 events that you feel have been important to you and your development. Explain AND describe the significance of each event. For each event, add a drawing, a magazine clipping, a photograph, or some other memento (newspaper clipping, ticket stub, etc) that illustrates or somehow corresponds to that event.
Section IV: Values
This section contains 3 parts.
1. List AND explain 3 basic values held by your family. Illustrate/depict each value in some way.
2. List AND explain 5 values or beliefs that you have as an individual. Illustrate or depict each value in some way. Give an example of a time when you exercised each of your values/beliefs.
3. Who is your hero?
(Your hero can be a living person, fictional character, historical figure, etc., but for the purposes of this assignment, please do not select a divine being as your hero).
What is it about your hero that you admire? Respect? Envy? What’s special about him/her? Do you want to be like your hero? What would that require on your part? Do you believe you can achieve that?
Attach a picture of your hero.
Section V: Skills and Talents
1. Make a collage from magazine clippings, photos, etc., to illustrate the skills and talents you currently possess.
2. Write a brief narrative on at least 3 skills/talents you wish to develop or acquire during the next five years of your life.
Section VI: Goals
1. Tell the story of what you hope to do with your life.
2. Who will speak about you when your life is over?
3. What will he/she/ they say?
Section VII: Wish List
Enumerate AND illustrate 5 “things” you wish for (these may be material acquisitions, personal accomplishments, undertakings, experiences, etc.). For each wish, determine:
a) how could you make this wish come true?
b) what are the non-monetary costs of seeking this wish?
c) how would having this wish come true change your life?
Section VIII: Mansfield and Beyond
1. Write your “chapter” of the Mansfield University story. (Two pages MAXIMUM)
Some ideas: How did you get here? What has the University meant to you? What have you learned and how? What’s been good? Bad? Who has made a difference in you life during your stay here? What have you accomplished? Left un-done? What do you want to remember? What do you hope to forget? What words of wisdom would you offer a new student?
2. Professionally speaking, what do you want “to be” after graduating from Mansfield?
Section IX: Epilogue
1. Write a personal motto (10 words or less).
2. Choose a personal theme song. Provide the lyrics of the song.
Section X: Conceptual Framework
Write a narrative in which you present YOUR conceptualization of social work. What is it, to YOU? How do YOU understand the process of helping? What knowledge do YOU draw on to understand and care for people? What theories or models do YOU find informative or useful as you prepare to work with families? What, from your education, background, personality, and belief system, informs YOUR method(s) and style(s) of intervention?
All Life Books will be handled with great care, discretion, and honor by the instructor. Their contents will not be discussed with anyone other than the student without permission. They will be evaluated on the basis of thoroughness, depth, thoughtfulness, organization, creativity, and how well they reflect your process of self-examination, not on the basis of being congruent with the Instructor’s point of view.