{"id":7803,"date":"2019-05-22T16:00:49","date_gmt":"2019-05-22T16:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lancaster.ac.uk\/fas\/psych\/glossary\/ecological_systems_theory\/"},"modified":"2019-05-22T16:00:49","modified_gmt":"2019-05-22T16:00:49","slug":"ecological_systems_theory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lancaster.ac.uk\/fas\/psych\/glossary\/ecological_systems_theory\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecological systems theory"},"content":{"rendered":"

A theory put forward by Urie Bronfenbrenner<\/a> (1917-2005), which states that family relationships relative to child development must be understood as a network of interacting parts<\/a> or systems in a whole that is itself influenced by wider social and cultural processes.  In short, there is not just an ‘environment’, but rather a multiplicity of environmental systems that an individual interacts with during development.  In the mid-1990s, there was an increasing tendency to refer to it as the bio-ecological systems, and with it mounting criticisms<\/a> of its previous formulation.  In the figure below, three of the original systems are depicted.    <\/p>\n

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A simplified depiction of the ecological systems theory. The macrosystem<\/span> is intended to capture the larger social context or social structure (e.g., involving cultural values and expectations), within which lower level systems (e.g., family structures) are nested. From one generation to the next, the system can change, sometimes radically (e.g., value systems of the children of first generation immigrants). The exosystem<\/span> refers to the arena where relationships take place between a microsystem (e.g., parents, siblings) and a social setting in which the child does not play an active role, but nonetheless it has an effect (e.g., parent’s workplace). The microsystem<\/span> brings together all those influences that have an immediate and direct effect on the child’s development (e.g., siblings). An individual’s biological characteristics, including cognitive abilities, can be regarded as part of the microsystem. If done, then the theory is sometimes referred to as the bio-ecological systems theory. This depiction does not account for two other systems that are sometimes incorporated. One is the mesosystem<\/span> in which connections are established between microsystems (e.g., family and school experiences). The chronosystem<\/span> explicitly incorporates time (‘macro-time’, if you like) into the theory: changes occurring over relatively large spans of time such as parental divorce that can result in transitions in family dynsmics that in turn have an impact on the developing child. <\/p>\n

See Ecology<\/a>, Environment<\/a>, General system theory (GST)<\/a>, Parenting<\/a>, Peer group<\/a>, Socialization<\/a>, Social network<\/a>, System <\/p>\n

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A theory put forward by Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917-2005), which states that family relationships relative to child development must be understood as a network of interacting parts or systems in a whole that is itself influenced by wider social and cultural processes.  In short, there is not just an ‘environment’, but rather a multiplicity of environmental systems … <\/p>\n

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