The Ecological-Systems Theory developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917-2005) in 1979, consists of five environmental systems and examines how individuals interact with them. This approach often provides insight into the development of children and their relation to their environment.
Ecological Systems Theory
The five distinctive groups of the Ecological Systems Theory examines how they relate to each other and the role they play in a child’s development.
Microsystem. The Microsystem refers to the people an individual has a direct involvement with. Examples could include family, friends, teachers and members of one’s community. This system is attributed to the construct of our environment and our involvement with those around us who create it.
Mesosystem. The Mesosystem suggests that these Microsystems form relationships within one another throughout their development, resulting in a system within a system. As an example, an individual’s family experience may relate closely to their school or work experience, creating a link between the two. For instance, if a father abused his child, the child may find it difficult to form relationships with males in authoritative positions, such as employers or instructors. This might also manifest itself in the child by causing them to withdraw and feel alienated by their peers.
Exosystem. The Exosystem creates a connection between the external setting in which the individual has no active role, as well as the setting in which the individual is immediately involved. For example, if a child has a closer relationship with his older brother, than with his sister, and the brother goes away to university, the child may feel disconnected in the relationship with his sister. Alternatively, the si...
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...judgement to help me throughout my life. The development of my social skills as a child has been central to my psychological growth. The versatility of my development is attributed to emotional, physical and environmental factors. These factors played equally important parts in my developmental progress as a child and play an integral part in my emotional connection with others.
In retrospect, my personal development has transitioned many times throughout my life, the interaction between my physical and emotional self has been fluctuating as my immediate relationships and environment change. The resilience of the human mind and its ability to continue developing throughout our lives is the foremost contributing factor that separates us from our counterparts.
Works Cited
Stassen Berger, K. (2010). Invitation to the Lifespan. New York: Worth Publishers.
In the ecological systems theory, Brofenbrenner postulated that in order to completely understand development, the entire ecological system must be taken into account. Each level of the system offers a diverse range of options and sources for growth. The microsystem level - which is what we will be focusing on – contains structures with which the child has direct contact. It embodies the relationships and interactions the child has with their immediate surrounding such as family, school, neighbors, and childcare environments. Relationships that are bi-directional tend to have the strongest influence, meaning the interactions have impact in two directions, both toward the individual and away. The microsystem provides the initial set of interrelations a child has and provides the basis for developing trust with their significant people. For this reason, adopting at the earliest age po...
Microsystem. There are several immediate factors acting on the individual. This nearest level of the system is known as the microsystem that directly interacts with the individual. This system might include forces such as family, peers, school, or religion. (Video 1)
The CDC ecological framework states that health intervention should target individual, relationship, community, and societal. Similar to the CDC ecological model Mcleroy model has the following levels: Intrapersonal, interpersonal, organizational, community and public policy. Although, both the CDC ecological and the Mcleroy model are both very self-explanatory, the first person to bring about the idea of health intervention on a ecological framework was Urie Bronfenbrenner. He found an interaction of several ecological levels with children development and behavior. First level he found, microsystem, which is an immediate environment a person operate such as parent, school and day care.
• Microsystem the first system in which the teen interacts is that which comprises the environment provided by the family, peers, a school, or a neighborhood. ”(Bigner & Gerhardt, 2008).
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.
It is the largest and final outer layer which wrap the microsystem, mesosystem, and exosystem. Refers to Boemmel and Briscoe (2001), macrosystem influence and support child within the environment such as economic patterns, customs, society, and nationality. As stated by Paquette and Ryan (2001), the principles have a cascading influence throughout the interactions of external layers. As an example, if the culture belief parents should be solely responsible for taking care and raising their children, then the culture is less likely provide available sources to guide the parents. Thus, this affects the parents function based on the parents' ability or inability to carry the responsibility.
An ecological framework focus is on the person-in-environment with interactions and transactions between persons, families, groups and or communities and their environments. (Barbra Teater,2011) Ecological systems theory was developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner during 1940. He believed a person’s development was affected by everything in their surrounding environment. (Bronfenbrenner ,1977) divided the environment into four different levels. The first the microsystem ,it encompasses the relationships and interactions a child has with her immediate surroundings (Berk, 2000).
The next couple of paragraphs will utilise Bronfenbrenner ecological framework to capture Olivia’s interactions, by doing so we would be able to identify her venerability, as well as identify her capacity for positive change. Bronfenbrenner believed every child has a set of variables that affects life and development; “these variables must be considered in order to understand the child’s values, beliefs, achievements, and behaviours” (Victor-Valley-College, no date). The variables looked at in this essay includes attachment, family systems and socio-economic factors which all occurs at different levels of the Ecological-system. Bronfenbrenner (1979, p.4) argues that children in modern industrialised societies are the conditions of the parental environment. He continued to say that in order to understand human development, one must take into account the environment where growth occurs (1979,p.16).
In the concept of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems they played huge role to shape my character, values and so on to make me a better person right now that I still value them. For example, in my mesosytem to force me to be more religious because I studied in catholic school. Until now, I become more religious person and makes some more friends which it help me to build up my confident to my social activities. Also, my microsystem made me more independent because in my every early age I started to be help in house chores that helps me to be my foundation in the real world. Only few people will help out. So far, the concept of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems still keeps continuing as I grow up and helps me to be more successful in the real world.
Relationship- Based Model The ecological systems theory is one of the many theories there is to see how a child is influenced by its surrounds. This theory was found by Urie Brofenbrenner, a Russian psychologist. Ecological System theory views the person as developing within a complex system of relationships affected by multiple levels of surrounding environment (Exploring Lifespan Development, fourth edition by Laura E. Berk page 19).
This paper will look at Urie Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological approach to child development and how the microsystem, mesosystem,exosystem, macrosystem as well as the chronosystem influences a child's behavior and development. “The bioecological approach emphasizes the interconnectedness of the influences on development. Because the various levels are related to one another” (Feldman, 2017). Using this theory, one can understand the multilevel approach and how the interactive connections influence a child's growth. Moreover, awareness of variations and/or fluctuations in a system can result in a ripple effect, which in turn will affect development.
Social systems attempt to protect their survival through adaptation and self-preservation and are interrelated and interdependent; human systems and their environments are intricately connected to one another (Canda, Chatterjee, and Robbins, 2012). With this said, people and their environments are involved in a process of continual adaptation to one another and must be viewed holistically (Canda, Chatterjee, and Robbins, 2012). There are theories that adopt a systems perspective, however most focus primarily on the individual, interpersonal, some on society, and others on the earth ecological. Variation in their focus also leads to variation in their levels of application. Dynamic systems and the ecological approach are usually seen as having
Children are products of their environment. There are several factors that determine the future outcome of the child. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model breaks down the components that effect the child. This model contains several layers; the inner most layer is called the microsystem, then comes the mesosystem, the exosystem, and the macrosystem. Each layer describes different factors that explain how and why the child behaves or grows up to be a certain way.
Urie Bronfenbrenner was a psychologist who developed the ecological systems theory. This theory views the child as developing within a complex system of relationships affected by multiple levels of the surrounding environment. He divided the environment into five different levels, the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and an ever-changing system (chronosystem). The microsystem is the system closest to the child like whom they have direct contact with such as family members and peers.
New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum document (Nuttall, 2003, p.254). However two are predominant and stand symbiotically on the pages and in the intent of the curriculum. Bronfenbrenner’s ecological, system’s theory, which emphasises how the quality and setting of the child’s environment influences the child (Ministry of Education, 1996; Paquette, & Ryan, 2001) and Vygotsky’s ‘sociocultural theory,’ which describes learning as a social process originating in society or culture and passed through generations (UNESCO, 2004). Discussed within this essay will be a review of these theoretical perspectives illustrating their explanations for how each influences the child, how the child learns, how development is explained, and how these theories are reflected within Te Whāriki.