The representation of abortion is one of the points where the clinical system (McGoldrick) and the systemic reading (Hellinger) diverge, and understanding both conventions avoids serious confusion.
**Standard McGoldrick Convention:** A **miscarriage** is represented by a small filled triangle + cross; an **induced or provoked abortion** is represented by a triangle + cross + horizontal line (the horizontal line distinguishes it from a miscarriage). A **stillborn baby** is represented full-size with a large X, not as a triangle. These distinctions matter: three distinct clinical situations, three distinct symbols.
**Hellinger Reading:** While the clinical genogram tends to marginalize abortion (small symbol, outside the main sibling line), Hellinger places it in its **actual ordinal position** in the sibling line —at the same size as living children— because systemically it belongs equally. Some Constellation facilitators (Cristina Cáceres) also distinguish between **desired abortions** (X) and **undesired abortions** (darkened circle).
For the Constelando website, both representations are relevant: the McGoldrick is the recognized standard in psychology; the Hellinger is what captures the systemic weight of the lost member.
Clinical Example
A woman draws her genogram following McGoldrick: a tiny triangle to the side represents the abortion her mother had. The Constellation facilitator asks her to redraw it using the Hellinger convention: the abortion now has a normal-sized symbol, in its ordinal place in the sibling line. Visually, the woman sees the sibling she lost for the first time. Something shifts.
Illustrative case, anonymized and composed from frequent patterns in Family Constellation sessions.
Evidence and Contemporary Voices
In systemic family therapy, genogram symbology for representing abortions follows conventions standardized by McGoldrick et al. (1999), where a small filled triangle with a cross denotes miscarriage and a triangle with a horizontal line indicates induced abortion. These notations facilitate the mapping of transgenerational events in clinical contexts of institutions such as the Ackerman Institute for the Family. In Hellingerian approaches, as documented by Hellinger (1998), a darkened circle is occasionally used to symbolize life interruptions, highlighting their role in unconscious family loyalty dynamics, although without empirical support in peer-reviewed studies. Researchers like Anne Ancelin Schützenberger (1990) at the University of Nice integrate genograms for transgenerational trauma but do not specify symbolic divergences with Hellinger, prioritizing phenomenological analyses over graphic representations. There are no recent meta-analyses (post-2010) validating clinical differences between these conventions in therapeutic outcomes.
Verifiable Quotes
- "A small filled triangle with a cross indicates a miscarriage; with a horizontal line, an induced abortion." — Monica McGoldrick, Genograms: Assessment and Intervention (1999, p. p. 42).
- "In the genogram, abortions are sometimes represented with a darkened circle to indicate exclusions." — Bert Hellinger, Orders of Love (1998).
Researchers and Key Figures
- Monica McGoldrick — Ackerman Institute for the Family — standardization of genogram symbology
- Anne Ancelin Schützenberger — University of Nice — genogram and transgenerational
- Bert Hellinger — Founder of Family Constellations — phenomenological symbology
Auditable Sources
Notes and Open Debates
Hellingerian conventions lack empirical validation and are framed as pseudotherapy, with criticisms for suggestibility and lack of falsifiability (Fundación PSIF, 2023); symbolic divergences do not demonstrate clinical superiority over systemic standards like McGoldrick, and can induce false memories or victim blaming.
Additional research generated with consultation of academic sources (Perplexity Sonar Pro). Citations and URLs are the responsibility of their original source; verify before formal citation.
Bibliography
- Genograms: Assessment and Treatment — Monica McGoldrick, Randy Gerson, Sueli Petry. W.W. Norton, 4th ed., 2020.
- Love's Own Truths — Bert Hellinger. Herder, 2001.
- Importance of including abortions in the family system (article) — Cristina Cáceres. cristinacaceresmangas.com.
These books are in the reference library that nurtures Constelando el Origen.
Site articles on this topic
Related terms
Ordinal place of the lost child (Hellinger's rule)
In the systemic system, a deceased sibling —including miscarriages and premature deaths— retains their ordinal place. If there was a miscarriage before the first living child, the first living child is "the second."
See entrySibling line and birth order
Horizontal line from which children hang in birth order, from oldest (left) to youngest (right). All siblings —living, deceased, unborn— occupy their ordinal place.
See entryExcluded from the system
A member of the clan whom the system erases from the narrative. When someone is excluded, the system assigns a descendant the task of representing them.
See entryBelonging
First systemic law: everyone who belonged to the system, belongs forever. Excluding someone forces the system to represent them later.
See entryA session that names what hurts
If you recognize this dynamic in your own story, a Family Constellation can reveal where it comes from and what movement can order it. Daniela accompanies each case with respect.
Sessions in Spanish only