Human Ecology Theory
Urie Bronfenbrenner, a co-founder of the Headstart Program, developed the Human Ecology Theory (also known as the Ecological Systems theory). The Human Ecology Theory states that human development is influenced by the different environmental systems. This theory helps us understand why we may behave differently when we compare our behavior in the presence of our family and our behavior when we are in school or at work, etc.
The Five Environmental Systems
The ecological systems theory holds that we encounter
different environments throughout our lifespan that may influence our behavior
in varying degrees. These systems include the micro system, the mesosystem,
the exosystem, the macro system, and the chronosystem.
The micro system's
setting is the direct environment we have in our lives. Your family, friends,
classmates, teachers, neighbors and other people who have a direct contact with
you are included in your micro system. The micro system is the setting in which
we have direct social interactions with these social agents. The theory states
that we are not mere recipients of the experiences we have when socializing
with these people in the micro system environment, but we are contributing to
the construction of such environment.
The mesosytem
involves the relationships between the microsystems in one's life. This means
that your family experience may be related to your school experience. For
example, if a child is neglected by his parents, he may have a low chance of
developing positive attitude towards his teachers. Also, this child may feel
awkward in the presence of peers and may resort to withdrawal from a group of
classmates.
The exosystem is
the setting in which there is a link between the context where in the person
does not have any active role. For example, suppose a child is more attached to
his father than his mother. If the father goes abroad to work for several
months, there may be a conflict between the mother and the child's social
relationship, or on the other hand, this event may result to a tighter bond between
the mother and the child.
The macrosystem
setting is the actual culture of an individual. The cultural contexts involve
the socioeconomic status of the person and/or his family, his ethnicity or race
and living in a still developing or a third world country. For example, being
born to a poor family makes a person work harder every day.
The chronosystem
includes the transitions and shifts in one's lifespan. This may also involve
the socio-historical contexts that may influence a person. One classic example
of this is how divorce, as a major life transition, may affect not only the
couple's relationship but also their children's behavior. According to a
majority of research, children are negatively affected the first year following
divorce dealings. As the years after proceed it has been revealed that the
interaction within the family becomes more stable and agreeable.
Reference: Sarah Mae Sincero (2012). Ecological Systems Theory. Retrieved Jan 29, 2013 from Explorable.com: http://explorable.com/ecological-systems-theory.html
Reference: Sarah Mae Sincero (2012). Ecological Systems Theory. Retrieved Jan 29, 2013 from Explorable.com: http://explorable.com/ecological-systems-theory.html
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