Understanding Your Family of Origin Scale
Family-of-Origin Scale
Your family of origin is the family with which you spent most or all of your childhood years. This scale is designed to help you recall how that family functioned. Every family is unique and has its own ways of doing things, so there are no right or wrong answers — what matters is that you respond as honestly as you can, as you remember your family. Nothing you enter is saved or sent anywhere.
Your results
out of 200
Higher scores reflect a healthier remembered experience of your family of origin. There are no official cutoffs — use the breakdown below to notice areas of strength and areas worth reflecting on, ideally in conversation with a therapist.
Source: Hovestadt, Anderson, Piercy, Cochran & Fine (1985), A Family-of-Origin Scale, Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. This questionnaire is offered for self-reflection and is not a diagnostic instrument or a substitute for professional care.