Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory Case Study

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Background Information Andy is an only child aged 12 studying at the ‘foundation’ level of a neighbourhood school. He comes from a single parent family where his father is an odd job worker. The father does not have a stable income and is rarely home. He frequently drinks and constantly scolds Andy. Andy’s mother had left the home when he was young due to his father’s constant abuse. Andy frequently plays truant and would usually hang out with a group of friends at the void decks or at the shopping centre. He will only go home late in the night when all his friends have gone home. The school had occasional reports that he had been caught shoplifting and stealing bicycles near the school with a group of his friends. Within this group, there are boys whose age ranges from 11 to 16. He was also seen smoking by his classmates. There had also been incidences where the group had tried to extort money from other children and teenagers. Should the person refuse to pay, they will even resort to violence to get it. In order to understand the issues at play and to propose various solutions, three main concepts would be examined. The focus would be on context of development, self and identity development and social development. Context of development – Bronfenbrenner’s Bioecological 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. The Microsystem... ... middle of paper ... ...f Andy shows that there are a number of major issues which is affecting him. It will not be sufficient to merely focus on only one or two solutions but rather a need to have a systematic and comprehensive solution done on various areas at the same time for it to be effective. Due to the lack of both the home support and close friends, other alternatives must be looked into or improved. What is of importance is that Andy himself must be convinced that his behaviour requires change in order for the various stated methods to work. Therefore sensitivity as well as proper tact must be taken to advise him to keep him receptive to the idea of changing. This would be more effective than putting him on the defensive which would cause more difficulty. These measures would need much time and patience from the parties involved in order to see its effects. Total Words: 2522

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