Human development issues have remained critical in understanding how and why people behave the way they do. Several human development theories exist to explain human development from birth through to death. Some of these have focused on the psychological aspects of human development while others on the cognitive aspect (Piaget, 1971; Lerner, 2001; Swick and Williams, 2006). Other human development theories have also focused on the social and environmental aspects (Bronfenbrenner & Bronfenbrenner, 2009; Swick, 2004). This current essay examines one of the major social theories relating to child development. The theory to be examined is the Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory of human development. The essay will further examine the applicability of the Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory to my personal development, growing up as a child between the ages of 4 years and 12 years. In the first instance, the essay will focus on explaining the – Bronfenbrenner’s theory including the four types of systems described by the theory. Subsequently, the essay will examine how these systems apply to my life in relation to the social systems in which I grew in South Sudan in Africa. It will be seen that the Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory …show more content…
I was born in South Sudan in an area called Aweng. I was the first child in a family of nine children. I grew up in the same place, Aweng, a large village. As a young boy, I grew up in a very large family which involved other relatives, uncles, cousins and aunties also family friends. My father became the Chief of my village when I was age 6 and my mother remained a housewife. I stated school in this village together with my other siblings until we were all displaced by the civil war that occurred in Sudan. The subsequent discussions will relate with how each system within the theory apply to my
Schuster, C. S., and Ashburn, S. S., (1980). The Process of Human Development: A Holistic Approach. Boston: Little, Brown and Company Inc.
Crandell, Thomas. Crandell, Corinne Haines. Zanden, James W. Vander. (2009). Human Development. New York: McGraw-Hill.
The lost boys of Sudan view war as bad luck, since they have no control over violence in their region. The lost boys did not choose to be born within these two groups, and are not willing to participate in violent activities, in their environment. The boys are not supportive of the war, and it is from this reason that they are fleeing away from their home country to avoid recruitment into militia groups (Ajak, 2006). Therefore, war causes separation of family members and disintegration of ethnic groups. People lose their ethnic identities during instances of war as they seek refuge in new environments. According to the boys, war leads to premature death, fear, hunger, disability, violence, displacement and diseases. War exposes people to more harm than during peaceful periods (Ajak, 2006). The lost boys feel that war is a threat to their lives and schooling. It is a tradition for...
Macrosystem. The macrosystem is the outer most shell of the model that shapes the exosystem. These broad forces include culture, values, structures, institutions that create the environment in which the exosystem operates.
Theories abound around how people develop emotionally, intellectually, socially and spiritually. This essay will examine the theories of five leaders on the subject of development.
When studying human development, it is helpful to understand the main developmental domains (i.e physical, cognitive, emotional and moral) and the ways in which people develop within each domain at certain age stages. Use of psychological theories is also helpful to understand the reasons for this development and the ways in which it manifests at different age stages. The objective of this essay is to analyse the influences on development from conception to late adolescence. It will describe theories of lifespan development with information regarding my own development used to support these theories. It will be concluded that theories of lifespan development can be used to explain life experiences in the different developmental domains at different
As the Falolas put it, “In reality, there is no such thing as a nuclear family and an extended family in Sudan because spousal commitments do not take away couples’ responsibilities toward their siblings and their aged parents: this is the basic principle binding almost all cultures in Sudan…” (Falola 121). Sudanese people had simple lifestyles, mainly including agriculture and tending to farm animals, or herding. The main agricultural crops which they produced were cotton, peanuts, grains, sugar cane, and sorghum grasses (Nelson 146).The young Sudanese boys would normally move around a lot, day to day, in modest crowds for cattle herding, retrieving food or water, attending school, or labor responsibilities (UNICEF). While the South’s education was lacking, with hardly any schools or teachers, most of the education systems li...
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory will be applied throughout this essay to delve into the reasoning behind particular behavioural issues. According to Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory, an individual has multiple environments known as their ecological systems (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). Bronfenbrenner (1994) suggests that a developing child is influenced by the relationships surrounding them and the best way to understand a child’s behaviour is to look at the numerous aspects of the child’s environment and how they interact with each other. The relationships and environments that the child interacts with have been separated into layers known as the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and the overarching chronosystem (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). The microsystem is the environment where the child has direct face-to-face relationships such as at home, day care and school (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). The relationships formed within the microsystem directly impact the development of a child (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). It is through the processes of repeated interactions with people, objects and symbols that the human develops (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). The second layer in the ecological model is the mesosystem, which is the interaction between two of the microsystems such as the relationship between a parent and a teacher (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). The exosystem is an external environment, with which the
A prison cell clanged behind a thirty- five year old named Keri, a female imamate of Tennessee State Department of Corrections. The prison guard escorted Keri to the prison’s chapel where she was scheduled to meet Dr. Kenneth Wales for the last time. Dr. Wales, an aging but intelligent psychiatrist, had more than a fair amount of accomplishments to show for in his career. Dr. Wales should have been filled with excitement; after all, he was finalizing his study with Keri, and he would soon be retiring with dignity and honor. However, Dr. Wales sat in the prison’s chapel with a look on his face that did not match his dignity and honor. He took out a ballpoint ink pen, and he drew a Bronfenbrenner’s Five Environmental System Theory
The Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory focuses on how ones environment can affect a person’s development. It focuses on 5 main areas namely the Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem, Macrosystem and Chronosystem (Bronfenbrenner, 1977, p. 514-515). Each system represents the setting in which they live in and how these people affect their growth. In this particular case study, Andy’s main influence is from the Microsystem and Mesosystem.
Bronfenbrenner theorised that there are many different influences that affect a child’s development, forming 5 systems to categorise certain events, or environments into. This theory helps me to understand the theme of Nature Vs Nurture, as it gives some context as to what environments can affect a child's development. From this, we can work out solutions for each child's situation, to ensure that their development is still progressing.
In Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory, there are five systems that ultimately influence an individual. The first system is the microsystem, which consists of the people who have direct contact to an individual. In my own life, my immediate family consists of my mother and I. I am an only child to my mother and since my mother and my father have been separated since I was a baby, he has not been part of my microsystem. In addition, I am also a student at CCP. I have a network of friends whom I keep in close contact with. The people that I encounter at home, school, and work have direct contact with me and thus, they are part of my microsystem.
Craig, G. J., & Dunn, W. L. (Ex.: 2010). Understanding human development (2nd Ed.). Upper Saddle River, N.J.
A child’s life is can be characterized by both qualitative and quantitative growth and in terms of how nature and nurture can shape and define the life of a child. Careful evaluation of these qualities can provide insight to the physical transformation of the body and to the maturing of the mind in both mental and emotional processing. Equally intriguing is the pace of this growth which is unique on an individual level but can be assessed on a categorical level. This philosophy, taking into account the various stages of growth in both qualitative and quantitative terms, the roles of nature and nurture influencing the growth,
Child growth and development is a process that consists of some building blocks, which are components that combine in an infinite number of ways (Cherry, n.d.). As a result of the variations of building blocks in a child’s development, educators, psychologists, and philosophers have been constantly engaged in the debate of nature versus nurture debate. Many researchers agree that child development is a complex interaction between his/her genetic background (nature) and his/her environment (nurture). In essence, some developmental aspects are strongly affected by biology whereas other aspects are influenced by environmental factors. From the onset of an individu...