family of origin
Where you started
Family of origin is the family in which a person grew up—typically parents and siblings, as distinct from a family one creates through marriage or partnership.
The term appears frequently in psychology and therapy, where early family dynamics are examined for their lasting effects: Her therapist asked about her family of origin.
It usefully distinguishes the family you came from and the family you made.
- parentsMother and father
- siblingsFellow offspring
- birth orderSequence among siblings
- childhoodLife's earliest phase
- childhood homeEarly-life dwelling place
roots · upbringing · homestead · ancestors · bloodline · kinship · dysfunction · attachment · nurture · inner child · inheritance · genealogy · birth · maternal · paternal · blood relatives · household · memories
- familymother, father, parents, siblings, parent
- familiesstepfamily, married couple, parents, children, siblings
- family therapymarriage therapy, relationship counseling, co-parenting, child therapy, premarital counseling
family of originchosen family
Intentionally formed kinship network
found family · adoptive family · support network · community · tribe
family, origin, families, familial, familiar, familiarity, familiarize, familiarization, origins