Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory

Summary

Professor Tannenbaum introduces Uri Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory, emphasizing its multi-layered approach to understanding complex human development. The theory outlines individual characteristics, immediate environments (microsystem), relationships between environments (mesosystem), indirect influences (exosystem), cultural context (macrosystem), and the role of time (chronosystem). This comprehensive model encourages a nuanced view of factors influencing behavior, such as education choices and success.

Takeaways

• 📚 Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory is a comprehensive model for understanding the complexity of human development.
• 🧑 The individual is at the center of the model, with personal attributes like age, sex, and special needs influencing behavior.
• 🏠 The microsystem represents immediate environments and interactions, such as family, peers, and school, which directly affect a person.
• 🔗 The mesosystem involves the interplay between different microsystems, like the relationship between family and school for a child.
• 🏢 The exosystem includes indirect influences from environments one is not directly involved in, but which affect one's life, such as a parent's workplace.
• 🌐 The macrosystem encompasses the broader social and cultural context that shapes a person's development, including political and economic factors.
• ⏳ The chronosystem adds a temporal dimension, considering the timing of life events and historical context on a person's development.
• 🤔 The theory emphasizes that understanding human behavior requires considering multiple layers of influence, not just individual traits.
• 🌟 Each layer of the model interacts and overlaps, indicating that human development is influenced by a complex interplay of factors.
• 🌱 The model is useful for educators and researchers to analyze and address complex issues in human development, such as substance abuse.
• 💬 Professor Tannenbaum encourages students to engage with the theory and seek clarification if needed, highlighting the importance of dialogue in learning.

Q & A

What is Uri Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory?

Uri Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory is a model that explains the complexity of human development by considering various layers of influences on human behavior, starting from the individual and extending to the larger social and cultural context.

Why is Bronfenbrenner's theory useful for understanding human development?

Bronfenbrenner's theory is useful because it helps to think about the different types of influences on human behavior, acknowledging that there are no simple answers to complex questions like why people engage in certain behaviors, such as drug use.

What is the 'microsystem' in Bronfenbrenner's theory?

The microsystem in Bronfenbrenner's theory refers to the immediate environments of an individual, such as their school, peers, or family, and includes the relationships and interactions within these environments.

Can you explain the 'mesosystem' according to the theory?

The mesosystem is the interplay between different microsystems in an individual's life. For example, it could be the relationship between a child's family and their school, including how parents interact with teachers and the impact on the child.

What does the 'exosystem' represent in the ecological theory?

The exosystem involves the link between two settings, one where the individual has an immediate role and another where they do not. It affects the individual indirectly, such as a parent's workplace influencing the child's school life through parental involvement and work schedules.

How is the 'macrosystem' defined in Bronfenbrenner's model?

The macrosystem represents the broader social and cultural context that influences an individual, which can include national culture, religious beliefs, political climate, and other societal factors that shape human development.

What role does the 'chronosystem' play in understanding human development?

The chronosystem considers the role of time in human development, including the timing of life events and the historical context. It acknowledges that the impact of events can vary depending on when they occur in a person's life and the broader historical period.

How does the ecological theory address the complexity of factors influencing why people do drugs?

The ecological theory addresses this by considering multiple layers of influence, from individual characteristics to broader social contexts, recognizing that the reasons for drug use can vary greatly among individuals and situations.

Can you provide an example of how the mesosystem might affect a child's development?

An example could be if a child lives in an unsafe area, which might affect the rules set by their parents, influencing the child's behavior and development through the interaction between their home environment and neighborhood.

How might the exosystem impact a student's college experience?

The exosystem could impact a student if, for instance, the state legislature cuts the higher education budget, affecting tuition fees, available resources, and potentially the quality of education, all of which can influence the student's college experience.

What broader cultural factors might be considered in the macrosystem level of the theory?

In the macrosystem level, factors such as the cultural views on education, gender roles, and societal expectations can influence an individual's behavior and development, such as what majors they choose or their attitudes towards education.

How does the timing of life events, as considered in the chronosystem, affect an individual's development?

The timing of life events, such as becoming a parent at different ages, can have different impacts on an individual's development. The chronosystem also considers how historical periods can shape perspectives and behaviors, such as financial habits influenced by economic conditions.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Introduction to Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory

Professor Tannenbaum introduces Uri Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory as a model for understanding the complexity of human development. The theory is presented as a layered approach starting from the individual and expanding to the broader environment. The professor emphasizes the multifaceted nature of human behavior, using drug use as an example to illustrate that there isn't a single reason behind complex behaviors. The theory's microsystem level is explained as the immediate environment and direct interactions, including family, school, and peers for a child, or job and living situation for an adult.

05:03

🔍 Deep Dive into Ecological Systems and Chronosystem

Continuing the discussion, the professor elaborates on the mesosystem, which involves the interplay between different microsystems, such as the relationship between family and school. The exosystem is described as the indirect influence of environments one is not directly involved in, such as a parent's workplace affecting a child's school life. The macrosystem encompasses the broader social and cultural context that influences behavior. The chronosystem is introduced as the temporal dimension, affecting individuals differently based on when events occur in their lives or the historical context. The professor uses the example of a student starting college to illustrate how these systems interact and influence success in education.

Keywords

💡Ecological Theory

Ecological Theory, as proposed by Uri Bronfenbrenner, is a framework for understanding human development within the context of multiple interacting systems. It is central to the video's theme, illustrating the complexity of human behavior and development. The theory is used to explain how various environmental layers influence an individual's actions and decisions.

💡Microsystem

The microsystem in Bronfenbrenner’s theory refers to the immediate environment and direct interactions of an individual, such as family, school, or peers. It is integral to the video's narrative, as it sets the stage for understanding the most direct influences on a person's development, exemplified by the child's interactions with their teachers, family, and peers.

💡Mesosystem

The mesosystem represents the interconnections between the various microsystems in an individual's life. It is key to the video's message, showing how relationships between different immediate environments can affect development. For instance, the script mentions the relationship between a child's family and school, emphasizing the importance of these connections.

💡Exosystem

The exosystem is a level in the ecological theory that involves indirect influences on an individual from environments they do not directly participate in. It is relevant to the video's theme by demonstrating how external factors, such as a parent's workplace, can impact a child's development, even if the child is not directly involved.

💡Macrosystem

The macrosystem encompasses the broader cultural and social context that influences an individual's development. It is crucial to the video's content as it highlights the impact of larger societal structures, such as culture, politics, and economy, on personal development, as illustrated by the discussion on American culture and college education.

💡Chronosystem

The chronosystem addresses the dimension of time and its influence on human development within Bronfenbrenner’s theory. It is significant to the video's theme as it adds a temporal perspective to the ecological model, as shown by the discussion on the different impacts of becoming a parent at various ages or attending college in different historical periods.

💡Human Development

Human Development is the overarching theme of the video, focusing on how individuals grow and change throughout their lives. It is exemplified by the script's discussion of various factors influencing development, from personal attributes to broader societal contexts.

💡Influences

Influences in the context of the video refer to the multiple factors that shape human behavior and development. They are central to understanding the ecological theory, as the script explores different layers of influences, from personal relationships to cultural norms.

💡Individual

The individual is the core of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory, representing the person at the center of the various systems. The video emphasizes the individual's unique attributes and needs, such as age, sex, and special needs, as foundational to understanding their development.

💡Context

Context is a key concept in the video, highlighting the importance of considering the environment and circumstances in which an individual exists. It is used to explain how different layers of the ecological theory provide the backdrop against which human development occurs.

💡Complexity

Complexity is a fundamental message of the video, emphasizing that human development is not governed by simple answers but is the result of multiple interacting factors. The script uses the ecological theory to convey this complexity, discussing the various systems and their intricate relationships.

Highlights

Overview of Uri Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory.

Bronfenbrenner’s theory helps to understand the complexity of human development.

Human behavior influenced by multiple factors, not just one reason.

Theory includes layers starting from the individual and expanding outwards.

Individual level includes age, sex, and special needs.

Microsystem includes immediate environments like family, school, and peers.

Mesosystem covers relationships between microsystems, such as family and school.

Exosystem links settings where one is directly involved and one is not, such as a parent’s job affecting a child’s school experience.

Macrosystem encompasses larger social and cultural contexts.

Chronosystem includes the role of time and historical context on development.

Different life events and historical contexts impact individuals uniquely.

Example of a college student’s influences at different system levels.

Microsystem factors like available majors and financial affordability.

Mesosystem factors such as family and employer support.

Exosystem influences like state legislation on education budgets.

Macrosystem factors including cultural attitudes towards education.

Chronosystem considerations like the era of attending college and its broader implications.

Encouragement to understand the interconnectedness of these layers.

Transcripts

Hi everybody, this is Professor Tannenbaum.

I just wanted to take a few minutes today to give you a brief overview of

Uri Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory.

I really like to use this theory as a model as we go throughout the course, because

it really is just such a good way of getting people to think about

how complicated human development is.

People often want really simple answers to complicated questions,

like why people do drugs.

Well, you know, if there was ONE reason why people did drugs,

we would have solved that problem by now.

Clearly, there is a much more complicated answer,

and it’s going to be different reasons for different people.

And so that’s where this theory comes in - it helps us to think about the different

types of influences on human behavior.

The idea behind Bronfenbrenner’s theory is that it’s a bunch of layers.

You start with the person in the middle, and from there we go to the more immediate context

and then out to the bigger picture.

So in the middle we have the individual - their age, their sex, do they have any special needs,

anything like that.

But then we get to what’s usually listed as the first level of his theory, which is

the microsystem.

And these are your immediate environments.

So for a child, this could be their school, their peers, or their family.

Who do they live with or interact with, and what is their relationship with those people?

Do they have supportive teachers?

Is the parent feeling stressed out by money?

Are the parents fighting?

Is the child being bullied?

And so on.

And then for adults, your microsystem might include your job, or this class,

or the place where you live.

From there we go to your mesosystem, which isn’t really clearly defined in this graphic.

But the mesosystem is just the relationship between your microsystems.

So for a child, for example, it might be the relationship between family and school.

Do the parents get along with the teacher?

Do they trust the teacher?

Do they feel comfortable going to the teacher if there is a problem?

Or it might be relationships between where the kid lives and their family.

If they live in an unsafe area, how does this maybe affect

the rules that their parents are setting for them?

Okay, so that’s the mesosystem.

The exosystem gets a little more complicated.

This is now a link between two settings: One is one that you have an immediate role in,

and one is a setting that you don’t.

So for parents, maybe it’s the relationship between the parent’s job and the kid’s school.

If the parents have really fluctuating work hours, or have to work very long hours, the

child is not directly involved in the parent’s workplace, but this will affect things like

whether the parents are able to volunteer in the kid’s school.

The Anne Arundel Community College Board of Trustees would be an example of an exosystem

for you, because you have probably (most of you) never met the trustees, but they do affect your

immediate environment because they affect things like your tuition and fees, who we’re

going to hire, College policies, and things like that.

So that’s your exosystem.

And then finally we have your macrosystem, which is the larger social and cultural context.

So this can be American culture, but of course that’s not one monolithic culture.

So we can also talk about the culture of a religious group, or military culture,

or the culture of very urban vs. rural areas.

We can also look at broad social contexts, such as the country’s political climate.

And then finally, just to make this whole thing more complicated, we have the chronosystem,

which in this graphic is kind of the 3D element of this image.

The chronosystem has to do with the role of time.

Part of this relates to when events occur in a person’s life.

For example, we can talk about how people are typically affected by becoming parents,

but the effects are very different if someone becomes a parent for the first time

at age 16 or 26 or 36.

The other element of the chronosystem is the larger historical context.

So, for example, somebody who is in their 40s today might have different views about

money, and different spending habits, compared to what today’s 20-year-olds will do when

THEY are in their 40s.

That’s going to be because of changes in the general cost of living,

expectations of what it will cost to save for retirement, etc.

So we have these layers which start at the middle and go out, but it’s important to

remember that there’s not always a nice clear division between one layer and the next.

So as one example, let’s look at someone who is starting college this year, and we

can think about what might affect his major and his odds of success.

At the individual level, we need to look at his intelligence, his personality, and so on.

At the microsystem level, we would look at what majors are even available at his local

college, and whether he can afford to go elsewhere if he wants.

But then we have to look at the larger context.

At the level of the mesosystem, we might want to see whether

his family and his employer will be supportive.

If his employer is constantly changing the guy’s work hours, he might be less likely

to succeed, regardless of his intelligence or his motivation.

At the exosystem level, we might look at whether the state legislature

has slashed the higher ed budget.

The macrosystem is that larger cultural context, so we’d want to know if this guy’s cultural

or subcultural groups view education as being worth it.

And gender roles may constrain what majors he thinks are acceptable.

And finally, we’d have to look at the chronosystem.

Is this guy going to college at 18, or at 48?

Is he going to college in 2018, or was this during the Vietnam War when college was

a good way to avoid military service, or was this during the 19th century when college

was only for the wealthy, and only for a small segment of the population,

and you had very different majors than you might have today?

So, I really hope that this has given you a better understanding of Bronfenbrenner’s theory.

As always, please do not hesitate to ask me if you have any questions.

In the meantime, I hope you have a great day!