Emosocial's EmoGrams

EmoSocial.com is a web-based journal created by a team of educators and mental health professionals. The site offers a variety of activities to assist in the psychosocial development of Emotional Intelligence and interpersonal coping skills. In educational settings, these skill sets are often referred to as Social Emotional Learning or SEL. These are basically ‘'people skills:" the ability to get along with others to help a child navigate the complex world of people and relationships. 

EmoSocial will enable the user to create visual and text entries of experiences that can be shared with others. The site will become an important resource in helping children record events, visualize themselves and others, and gain new insights perspectives on their world. This experience creates a foundation on which to better understand personal and social interaction.

Sociograms and EmoGrams

A key feature of EmoSocial is the use of Sociograms, developed in the 1930s by Jacob Moreno, a Viennese Social Psychologist and Psychiatrist.  "Moreno's focus was to investigate how psychological well-being is related to the structural features of what he termed 'social configurations'. These configurations are formed from the concrete patterns of interpersonal choice, attraction, repulsion, friendship and other relations in which people were involved." (See more on Sociometry and Sociograms).

We have evolved the Sociogram into the EmoGram. The EmoGram screen uses a palate and canvas environment with drag and drop functionality to allow the user to create EmoGrams. EmoGrams are unique diagrams that use Feeling Face Icons (EmoCons), Symbol Icons (SymCons) and Line Segments to represent how users are feeling, how they see others, and how they relate to people around them. The diary aspect of EmoSocial allows children to save EmoGram entries, creating a historical diary or journal.

EmoGram  Journaling or "EmoGraming" Instructions

There  are 3 Primary Menus/Palates on the left side of the EmoGram screen  that you pick from to create an EmoGram, Faces, Symbols and Relation  Lines. These palates are used in a drag and drop functionality. You  hover over the icon, left click and hold it and drag the icon to  where you want it and let go of the left click. The palates lock out  each other, in other words you have to have the Face palate selected  to work with the faces, the symbol palate selected to work with the  symbols and likewise with the Relation Lines.

  1. Faces: The first Menu/Palate is of Feeling Faces.  You select the face  or faces that you identify with to represent yourself then label or  name the face by using a right click which opens up a text box.  You can label it "Me", your name or write anything you want about the face. The next step is to drag and drop various faces representing the various people, pets, places or important things in your life and use the text box to describe or name the faces.  You can also resize Feeling Faces as well as Symbols by hovering over the Face or Symbol which triggers the resizing box around the icon. Drag a corner of the box to resize. You can put important people closer to you and others farther away.

  2. Symbols: The second Menu/Palate  is of symbols include weather icons (sunny to stormy), hands (a hand  shake to a fist), and a stop sign, among others. These Symbols can be used to create a mood or accent and represent something of importance.  You can also resize symbols as well by hovering over the icon and triggering the resizing box around the icon. Drag a  corner of the box to resize.

  3. Relationship  Lines: The third Menu/Palate is that of  line segments that are used to connect "Me" to the various named  EmoCons or symbol. There are a variety of lines that can be used to  characterize or describe the nature or status of relationships  between the various EmoCons. For example, a thick solid line  connecting two faces in close proximity could be described as a warm  and caring relationship where as a zigzag line between faces far away  could be described as being stressed or conflicted and even  "fighting".  You can also color the lines to add depth and meaning, a blue line could indicate a cold relation and red line an  angry of conflicted one (click the black box on the lower left side  of the palate to open the color palate).  Once you drag and drop  a line you can move it around, make it longer or shorter by using the  resizing boxes at either end of the line (arrow or beginning of the  line) and rotate it by using the light green paddle or lollipop at  end of the line. 

  4. Text Box: There is a text box that is used to write up the story of the Emogram and to go into details about what is going on. 

GO TO EMOGRAM JOURNAL »

In summary, EmoGraming provides a valuable tool to help the user develop new ways of expression and awareness. Depending on the age and development of the user, the tool can be linked to parental involvement, educational experiences via school-based Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) programs, as well as with counseling and psychotherapy treatment.