Urie Bronfenfrenner's Ecolocial System Presented in the Ecolocy of Human Development Experiments in Nature and Design

Bronfenfrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory

Russian- born American psychologist, Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917 – 2005) developed the ecological systems theory of human development. This paradigm was presented in The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design, (1979). Bronfenbrenner proposed that interactions with others and the environment are key to human development. He described our environment in terms of an “ecological system” which can be divided into four socially organized subsystems, or “layers of environment,” (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) that support and help human growth. They are known as micro, meso, exo, maxo systems and are typically presented as a series of nested circles with the individual being at the centre. Graber, Woods and O’Connor (2012) reported that the theory is dynamic and bidirectional; that is, one level of the system is affected by the other. Bronfenbrenner continually re-evaluated and made changes to his theory from its conception in 1979 to his death in 2005, ‘‘re- assessing, revising, and extending—and even renouncing—some of the conceptions set forth in [the] 1979 monograph’’ (Bronfenbrenner, 1989, p. 187). Bronfenbrenner and Morris (1998) documented the importance of time on human development, and this became known as the fifth or outer layer, the chronosystem. For the purpose of this answer, I will refer to the individual as a child however it should be noted that any aged individual can be the focus of the theory.

The child’s immediate environment in which they operate is known as the microsystem (Bronfenbrenner, 1979), and includes physical, social and psychological factors (Swick & Williams, 2006). This system comprises the people who have a direct relationship with the child. ...

... middle of paper ...

...ons with people (family, friends, and teachers) on the development of the child. It reveals how environments in which a child lives, such as child care or low socioeconomic communities can make a difference in the wellbeing of the child.

The ecological systems theory does not, however, take into account any genetic factors that may influence a child’s development. It focuses on contextual factors rather than individual ones. It does not provide in depth mechanisms for development nor does it encourage, especially as adolescence begins, analyses of children’s interactions with peers, schools and cultures not stemming from their parents (Goodnow, 1994).

The ecological system of human development by Urie Brofenbrenner (1979), is a widely used model in health, child development and education. It represents the dynamic relationship of biological and social environments.