Metaphor: Barack Obama
What is a sociogram?
A sociogram is a visual representation of the relationships among figures in history. For this
assignment, you can make use of pictures, symbols, shaped, colors, and line styles to illustrate these
relationships. The purpose of a sociogram is to graphically illustrate the changing relationships, the
traits of each person, and the conflicts surrounding them.
What does a sociogram look like?
In a sociogram, the central character is placed in a position of prominence on the page; the
other people/ events are placed around him. The spatial relationship on the page should
represent each of the relationships with the main figure, as well as with each other.
Lines/arrows should be used to show the “direction of nature” of the relationship (e.g.
strength/weakness, friend/foe, dominance/submissiveness, etc…). For your sociogram, you can
begin by manipulating small pieces of paper that represent the major players. Once you
have arranged the foundation of your sociogram in a way that best reflects your
understanding of the historical event, you may begin to place the names and to arrange the
lines and arrows in a way to illuminate the relationships.
A number of conventions can be useful when designing your sociogram:
 Place the central figure in the center of the diagram
 Let the physical distance between figures reflect the perceived
psychological distance
 Let the size/shape/symbol of a figure metaphorically represent each
personality, importance of position, power, etc…
 Show the direction of relationship by an arrowline, and its nature by a
brief label (the lines can be creatively applied: a jagged line, a wavy line,
thick, thin, broken, etc…)
 Represent substantiated relations with a solid line and inferred
relationships with a broken line.
 Place figures who support the main figure on one side of a dividing line
and the antagonistic figures on the other side
 Illustrate the tone by using color and visual symbols
Explore creative ways to represent a figure’s motivation. For example, inside each “figure”
might be one of more words that seem to capture the essence of that figure. Immediately
outside the circle could be a series of arrows that represent the forces that influence the
figure.
Be sure to study the models provided before constructing your own sociogram.