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Bronfenbrenner

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory

De de Paque tte – Jo hn Ryan

Ecological system s theory:

This the o ry lo o ks at a c hild’s de ve lo pme nt within the c o nte xt o f the s ys te m o f re latio ns hips that fo rm his o r he r

e nviro nme nt. Bro nfe nbre nne r’s the o ry de fine s c o mple x “laye rs ” o f e nviro nme nt, e ac h having an e ffe c t o n a c hild’s de ve lo pme nt. This the o ry has re c e ntly be e n re name d “b io e c o lo gic al s ys te ms the o ry” to e mphas ize that a c hild’s o wn bio lo gy is a primary e nviro nme nt fue ling he r de ve lo pme nt. The inte rac tio n be twe e n fac to rs in the c hild’s maturing bio lo gy, his imme diate family/c o mmunity e nviro nme nt, and the s o c ie tal lands c ape fue ls and s te e rs his de ve lo pme nt. Change s o r c o nflic t in any o ne laye r will ripple thro ugho ut o the r laye rs . To s tudy a c hild’s de ve lo pme nt the n, we mus t lo o k no t o nly at the c hild and he r imme diate e nviro nme nt, but als o at the inte rac tio n o f the large r e nviro nme nt as we ll.

The vario us te rms in this graphic are links that le ad to page s e xplaining the ir implic atio ns in this the o ry.

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Bronfenbrenner

Bronfenbrenner’s structure of environm ent:

The m icrosystem – this is the laye r c lo s e s t to the c hild and c o ntains the s truc ture s with whic h the c hild has dire c t c o ntac t. The mic ro s ys te m e nc o mpas s e s the re latio ns hips and inte rac tio ns a c hild has with he r imme diate

s urro undings (Be rk, 2 0 0 0 ). S truc ture s in the mic ro s ys te m inc lude family, s c ho o l, ne ighbo rho o d, o r c hildc are

e nviro nme nts . At this le ve l, re latio ns hips have impac t in two dire c tio ns - bo th away fro m the c hild and to ward the

c hild. Fo r e xample , a c hild’s pare nts may affe c t his be lie fs and be havio r; ho we ve r, the c hild als o affe c ts the be havio r and be lie fs o f the pare nt. Bro nfe nbre nne r c alls the s e bi-directional influences, and he s ho ws ho w the y o c c ur amo ng all le ve ls o f e nviro nme nt. The inte rac tio n o f s truc ture s within a laye r and inte rac tio ns o f s truc ture s be twe e n laye rs is ke y to this the o ry. At the mic ro s ys te m le ve l, bi-dire c tio nal influe nc e s are s tro nge s t and have the gre ate s t impac t o n the

c hild. Ho we ve r, inte rac tio ns at o ute r le ve ls c an s till impac t the inne r s truc ture s .

The m esosystem – this laye r pro vide s the c o nne c tio n be twe e n the s truc ture s o f the c hild’s mic ro s ys te m (Be rk, 2 0 0 0 ).

Example s : the c o nne c tio n be twe e n the c hild’s te ac he r and his pare nts , be twe e n his c hurc h and his ne ighbo rho o d, e tc .

The exosystem – this laye r de fine s the large r s o c ial s ys te m in whic h the c hild do e s no t func tio n dire c tly. The

s truc ture s in this laye r impac t the c hild’s de ve lo pme nt by inte rac ting with s o me s truc ture in he r mic ro s ys te m (Be rk, 2 0 0 0 ). Pare nt wo rkplac e s c he dule s o r c o mmunity-bas e d family re s o urc e s are e xample s . The c hild may no t be dire c tly invo lve d at this le ve l, but he do e s fe e l the po s itive o r ne gative fo rc e invo lve d with the inte rac tio n with his

o wn s ys te m .

The m acrosystem – this laye r may be c o ns ide re d the o ute rmo s t laye r in the c hild’s e nviro nme nt.	While no t be ing a
s pe c ific frame wo rk, this laye r is c o mpris e d o f c ultural value s , c us to ms , and laws (Be rk, 2 0 0 0 ).	The e ffe c ts o f large r

princ iple s de fine d by the mac ro s ys te m have a c as c ading influe nc e thro ugho ut the inte rac tio ns o f all o the r laye rs . Fo r e xample , if it is the be lie f o f the c ulture that pare nts s ho uld be s o le ly re s po ns ible fo r rais ing the ir c hildre n, that

c ulture is le s s like ly to pro vide re s o urc e s to he lp pare nts . This , in turn, affe c ts the s truc ture s in whic h the pare nts func tio n. The pare nts ’ ability o r inability to c arry o ut that re s po ns ibility to ward the ir c hild within the c o nte xt o f the c hild’s mic ro s ys te m is like wis e affe c te d.

The chronosystem – this s ys te m e nc o mpas s e s the dime ns io n o f time as it re late s to a c hild’s e nviro nme nts . Ele me nts within this s ys te m c an be e ithe r e xte rnal, s uc h as the timing o f a pare nt’s de ath, o r inte rnal, s uc h as the phys io lo gic al c hange s that o c c ur with the aging o f a c hild. As c hildre n ge t o lde r, the y may re ac t diffe re ntly to e nviro nme ntal

c hange s and may be mo re able to de te rmine mo re ho w that c hange will influe nc e the m .

Nature vs. Nurture?

Mo re mo de rn c hild de ve lo pme nt the o rie s ac c e pt that bo th a c hild’s bio lo gy and his e nviro nme nt play a ro le in c hange and gro wth. The o rie s no w fo c us o n the ro le playe d by e ac h and the e xte nt to whic h the y inte rac t in o ngo ing

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Bronfenbrenner

de ve lo pme nt. Bro nfe nbre nne r’s e c o lo gic al s ys te ms the o ry fo c us e s o n the quality and c o nte xt o f the c hild’s

e nviro nme nt. He s tate s that as a c hild de ve lo ps , the inte rac tio n within the s e e nviro nme nts be c o me s mo re c o mple x. This c o mple xity c an aris e as the c hild’s phys ic al and c o gnitive s truc ture s gro w and mature . S o , give n that nature

c o ntinue s o n a give n path, ho w do e s the wo rld that s urro unds the c hild he lp o r hinde r c o ntinue d de ve lo pme nt? This is the que s tio n ans we re d by Bro nfe nbre nne r’s the o ry.

Urie Bro nfe nbre nne r, c o -fo unde r o f He ad S tart, us e s his bio e c o lo gic al mo de l to pro vide a s tartlingly c le ar vie w o f the pro ble ms we have be e n s e e ing in o ur s tude nts and in o ur familie s . He s ays that te c hno lo gy has c hange d o ur s o c ie ty, and while we are taking gre at pains to s afe guard the phys ic al e nviro nme nt fro m the damage do ne by a te c hno lo gy, we have s pe nt no re s o urc e s to pro vide s imilar s afe guards to the damage do ne to o ur s o c ie tal e nviro nme nt. (He nde rs o n,

1 9 9 5 ). Our e c o no my has s hifte d fro m an indus trial mo de l to a te c hno lo gic al mo de l, ye t the patte rns o f the wo rkplac e have c o ntinue d to re ly o n the fac to ry wo rk e thic . Pare nts are e xpe c te d to wo rk a s c he dule that re vo lve s aro und the fac to ry whis tle – e ve n tho ugh the y may wo rk in a high te c h o ffic e . The te c hno lo gy that e nable s wo rke rs to be fre e o f manual labo r, s ho uld als o fre e the m fro m the time and plac e bo undary. Ye t, o ur wo rk e thic de mands mo re fac e time

–no t le s s . As wo me n e nte re d the wo rk fo rc e , the y to o we re s ubje c t to the s ame de mands . Family life in this c o untry has take n a bac k s e at to the ne e ds o f the wo rkplac e .

Als o o f c o nc e rn to Bro nfe nbre nne r is the “de fic it” mo de l us e d to de te rmine the le ve l o f s uppo rt grante d by the public to s truggling familie s . Pare nts mus t de c lare the ms e lve s de fic ie nt in s o me way in o rde r to qualify fo r he lp in s o lving pro ble ms that may c o me abo ut be c aus e o f o ur c ultural value o f inde pe nde nc e . A large r de gre e o f failure me ans a large r amo unt o f s uppo rt. By wo rking fro m this de fic it mo de l, we e xpe c t familie s to ho ld the ir hands up fro m de e p ins ide a blac k ho le o f he lple s s ne s s . The n, we e xpe c t the m to have the ps yc ho lo gic al s tre ngth to c limb up the thin ro pe the thro w do wn.

Implications for practice

Bro nfe nbre nne r s e e s the ins tability and unpre dic tability o f family life we ’ve le t o ur e c o no my c re ate as the mo s t de s truc tive fo rc e to a c hild’s de ve lo pme nt (Addis o n, 1 9 9 2 ). Childre n do no t have the c o ns tant mutual inte rac tio n with impo rtant adults that is ne c e s s ary fo r de ve lo pme nt. Ac c o rding to the e c o lo gic al the o ry, if the re latio ns hips in the imme diate mic ro s ys te m bre ak do wn, the c hild will no t have the to o ls to e xplo re o the r parts o f his e nviro nme nt. Childre n lo o king fo r the affirmatio ns that s ho uld be pre s e nt in the c hild/pare nt (o r c hild/o the r impo rtant adult)

re latio ns hip lo o k fo r atte ntio n in inappro priate plac e s . The s e de fic ie nc ie s s ho w the ms e lve s e s pe c ially in ado le s c e nc e as anti-s o c ial be havio r, lac k o f s e lf-dis c ipline , and inability to pro vide s e lf-dire c tio n (Addis o n, 1 9 9 2 ).

This the o ry has dire implic atio ns fo r the prac tic e o f te ac hing. Kno wing abo ut the bre akdo wn o c c urring within

c hildre n’s ho me s , is it po s s ible fo r o ur e duc atio nal s ys te m to make up fo r the s e de fic ie nc ie s ? It s e e ms no w that it is ne c e s s ary fo r s c ho o ls and te ac he rs to pro vide s table , lo ng-te rm re latio ns hips . Ye t, Bro nfe nbre nne r be lie ve s that the primary re latio ns hip ne e ds to be with s o me o ne who c an pro vide a s e ns e o f c aring that is me ant to las t a life time .

This re latio ns hip mus t be fo s te re d by a pe rs o n o r pe o ple within the imme diate s phe re o f the c hild’s influe nc e .

S c ho o ls and te ac he rs fulfill an impo rtant s e c o ndary ro le , but c anno t pro vide the c o mple xity o f inte rac tio n that c an be pro vide d by primary adults . Fo r the e duc atio nal c o mmunity to atte mpt a primary ro le is to he lp o ur s o c ie ty c o ntinue its de nial o f the re al is s ue . The pro ble ms s tude nts and familie s fac e are c aus e d by the c o nflic t be twe e n the

wo rkplac e and family life – no t be twe e n familie s and s c ho o ls . S c ho o ls and te ac he rs s ho uld wo rk to s uppo rt the primary re latio ns hip and to c re ate an e nviro nme nt that we lc o me s and nurture s familie s . We c an do this while we wo rk to re alize Bro nfe nbre nne r’s ide al o f the c re atio n o f public po lic y that e as e s the wo rk/family c o nflic t (He nde rs o n, 1 9 9 5 ). It is in the be s t inte re s t o f o ur e ntire s o c ie ty to lo bby fo r po litic al and e c o no mic po lic ie s that s uppo rt the impo rtanc e o f pare nt’s ro le s in the ir c hildre n’s de ve lo pme nt. Bro nfe nbre nne r wo uld als o agre e that we s ho uld fo s te r s o c ie tal attitude s that value wo rk do ne o n be half o f c hildre n at all le ve ls : pare nts , te ac he rs , e xte nde d family,

me nto rs , wo rk s upe rvis o rs , le gis lato rs .

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Re fe re nc e s

Addis o n, J. T. (1 9 9 2 ). Urie Bro nfe nbre nne r. Hum an Ec o lo gy, 2 0 (2 ), 1 6 -2 0 .

Be rk, L.E. (2 0 0 0 ). C hild D e ve lo p m e nt (5 th e d.). Bo s to n: Allyn and Bac o n. 2 3 -3 8

Bro nfe nbre nne r, U. (1 9 9 0 ). Dis c o ve ring what familie s do . In Re b uild ing t he Ne s t : A Ne w C o m m it m e nt t o t he A m e ric an Fam ily. Family S e rvic e Ame ric a [we b s ite ]. < http://www.mo ntana.e du/www4 h/pro c e s s .html>

He nde rs o n, Z. P. (1 9 9 5 ). Re ne wing o ur s o c ial fabric . Hum an Ec o lo gy, 2 3 (1 ), 1 6 -1 9 .

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The Body

The Body

“Anato my is de s tiny”

S igmund Fre ud, Co lle c te d Writings (1 9 2 4 ) vo l. 5

In the bio e c o lo gic al s ys te ms appro ac h o f Bro nfe nbre nne r, the bo dy is part o f the

mic ro s ys te m . Its e ffe c ts o n the o the r parts o f the mic ro s ys te m are pro bably o bvio us to mo s t o f us . The bo dy is the life s uppo rt s ys te m, the mo bility s ys te m, and that with whic h we pe rc e ive and inte rac t with the e nviro nme nt.

The re are s e ve ral c harac te ris tic s o f the bo dy that c an influe nc e de ve lo pme nt in diffe re nt ways . The firs t and bro ade s t is the ge ne ral he alth o f the bo dy. A pe rs o n’s he alth is de te rmine d by ho w e ffe c tive ly the vario us s ubs ys te ms in the bo dy func tio n and the influe nc e s o f e nviro nme ntal fac to rs . The c o mple xity o f the human bo dy is we ll be yo nd the dis c us s io n he re ; fro m ge ne s to bio c he mic al re ac tio ns o n the c e llular le ve l, fro m e nzyme s to pro te ins , and fro m bo ne s to s kin, we are an amazing c o lle c tio n o f

c o mpo unds and s truc ture s . If all o ur s ys te ms are wo rking to ge the r and e ffe c tive ly, we c an s ay we are in go o d he alth. Unfo rtunate ly this is a rathe r rare s ituatio n.

The re are many mo re dis o rde rs o f the bo dy than the re are o f the mind, and s o me affe c t bo th. During the c o urs e o f gro wth fro m infant to adult o ur bo die s are as s aulte d by

c o untle s s e xte rnal thre ats . We are attac ke d by almo s t e ve rything we c o me in c o ntac t with in o ne way o r ano the r. Airbo rne patho ge ns are drawn into o ur lungs , s unlight bre aks do wn o ur s kin c e lls and c aus e s me lano ma, and the tho rn o f a ro s e pie rc e s o ur s kin and le ave s bac te ria ins ide .

S o me o f us have ge ne tic dis o rde rs that c aus e malfunc tio ns in o ur inte rnal s ys te ms like c ys tic fibro s is , Tay-S ac hs dis e as e , and o s te o ge ne s is impe rfe c ta. Or we de ve lo p

c o nditio ns as a re s ult o f life s tyle o r e nviro nme nt like me s o the lio ma fro m as be s to s e xpo s ure , alc o ho lis m, o r o be s ity.

S inc e the bo dy is o ur life s uppo rt s ys te m, it o nly make s s e ns e that we try to pro te c t it fro m harm and ke e p it in go o d wo rking o rde r de s pite the innume rable thre ats we have to c o unte rac t. Mo de rn me dic al s c ie nc e c o ntinue s to s e e k be tte r ways to he lp us in this battle , but the re are s o me bas ic things we all ne e d to do in o rde r to ke e p o ur bo die s in the he althie s t c o nditio n we c an. In the bro ade s t c ate go rie s o f he alth mainte nanc e are ; nutritio n, e xe rc is e , and pre ve ntio n.

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The Body

Go o d nutritio n pro vide s the bo dy with the fue l it ne e ds to fe e d the living c e lls in all

o ur s ubs ys te ms , re plac e damage d c e lls , and gro w ne w c e lls . The pro pe r c o mbinatio ns o f vitamins , pro te ins , e nzyme s , mine rals , and o the r s ubs tanc e s are ne e de d o n a

c o ntinuing bas is to ke e p the bo dy he althy. Lac k o f ne e de d c o mpo ne nts c aus e s a varie ty o f dis o rde rs as do e s o ve r s upply.

Exe rc is e is ne c e s s ary to maintain full us e o f the he art and lungs as we ll as as s is ting the s truc tural c o mpo ne nts o f the bo dy in maintaining the ir s tre ngth and fle xibility. Again, as with nutritio n, the re c an be to o muc h o f a go o d thing, re s ulting in phys ic al damage s uc h as bro ke n bo ne s o r to rn ligame nts . We ne e d to kno w o ur limits and avo id dange ro us s ituatio ns .

Avo idanc e is o ne o f the ways we pre ve nt damaging o urs e lve s . We le arn at s o me po int in o ur de ve lo pme nt that we c anno t fly, and s o we avo id jumping o ff buildings . Othe r fo rms o f pre ve ntio n we prac tic e are ino c ulatio ns agains t dis e as e s , pe rio dic me dic al e xams , and the us e o f s afe ty de vic e s like s e atbe lts . All o f the s e are de s igne d to ke e p o ur bo die s fro m harm .

The e duc atio nal impac t o f all this invo lve s the ability o f o ur bo dy to aid us in o ur que s t fo r kno wle dge . Eve ry o ne o f the abo ve dange rs , dis o rde rs , o r dis e as e s c an have an impac t o n the de ve lo pme nt o f the c hild and that c hild’s ability to le arn. Po o r nutritio n c an c o ntribute to le arning pro ble ms , s o c an a bro ke n le g. Othe r phys io lo gic al

c o nditio ns , quite no rmal o ne s , c an als o have an impac t o n le arning. Ho rmo ne c hange s in ado le s c e nc e are no to rio us fo r c aus ing dis ruptio ns in the le arning pro c e s s . In s ho rt, anything that happe ns to the bo dy affe c ts the mind and it’s ability to pro c e s s data.

[Home ] [ The Behavioral System ] [ The Body ] [ Brain ] [ The Cognitive System ] [ Culture ]

[Emotional System ] [ FAMILY ] [ Global Influences in the Macrosystem ] [ Religion or Spirituality ]

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Brain

Brain & Biology

“I am a Be ar o f Ve ry Little Brain, and lo ng wo rds Bo the r me .”

Winnie -the -Po o h, A.A. Milne (1 9 2 6 )

The bio lo gy o f the brain is c e rtainly o ne o f the mo s t impo rtant s ys te ms in a de ve lo ping c hild. The he alth o f the c hild’s brain will have a gre at impac t o n the rate and quality o f de ve lo pme nt in all are as . S inc e all s e ns e s and mo to r func tio ns are c e ntralize d he re , virtually any ac tivity mus t be gin with the brain. Damage due to dis e as e o r injury c an impair ac tivity and c aus e a varie ty o f de ve lo pme ntal diffic ultie s . The re are nume ro us

c aus e s fo r brain injury, and the y c an s trike at any time in the de ve lo pme ntal pro c e s s up to and inc luding adultho o d. In additio n to trauma, dis e as e is a majo r c o ntributo r to brain injurie s . Millio ns o f do llars are s pe nt annually o n re s e arc h to find a way to s to p the pro gre s s io n o f Alzhe ime r’s dis e as e , a patho lo gy ne arly e xc lus ive to the e lde rly. Othe r dis e as e s affe c t all age gro ups . Enc e phalitis , me ningitis , Cre utzfe ldt-Jako b, and o the rs are c aus e d by e xte rnal patho ge ns that c an be ac quire d by any individual

thro ugh the pro c e s s o f a no rmal life . The c aus e s o f many o the r c o nditio ns that affe c t the brain are ge ne tic . Parkins o n’s , Huntingto n’s , and Do wn’s are jus t a fe w o f the mo re than 1 0 0 0 ge ne tic bas e d brain dis o rde rs that have be e n ide ntifie d. Othe r c aus e s are

e nviro nme ntal o r are re late d to pre natal c are is s ue s s uc h as fe tal alc o ho l s yndro me , a majo r c aus e o f me ntal re tardatio n. A fairly c o mpre he ns ive s o urc e o f info rmatio n o n ne uro lo gic al matte rs is the Natio nal Ins titute o f He alth s ite ,

http://www.s fn.o rg/BAW/re s o urc e s /what.is .ne uro .html.

In additio n to the phys io lo gic al c aus e s o f brain re late d is s ue s , the re are ps yc ho lo gic al and pharmac o lo gic al fac to rs that c an affe c t a de ve lo ping c hild in many ways .

De pre s s io n and s ubs tanc e abus e are two o f the large s t pro ble ms fac e d by ado le s c e nts ; bo th c an have s e rio us affe c ts o n le arning and be havio r. Ac c o rding to NIH s tatis tic s , in the Unite d S tate s alo ne , 9 millio n c hildre n and ado le s c e nts have s o me fo rm o f me ntal, be havio ral, o r e mo tio nal dis o rde r and o nly 1 /3 are re c e iving any tre atme nt.

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Brain

[Home ] [ The Behavioral System ] [ The Body ] [ Brain ] [ The Cognitive System ] [ Culture ]

[Emotional System ] [ FAMILY ] [ Global Influences in the Macrosystem ] [ Religion or Spirituality ]

[Schools ] [ Society ]

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Brain Awareness Week: What is Neuroscience?

These statistics are taken from updates from Public Information departments at the National Institutes of Heath and Research!America. For more information, please visit the NIH Web site, http://www.nih.gov/ or contact Research!America at 703-739-2372.

What is Neuroscience?

Neuroscience is the study of the brain and nervous system. Each day, neuroscientists are unraveling the mysteries of the human brain, answering questions such as: What is the mind? Why do we feel emotions? How do we learn, remember, and process information? What are the underlying causes of neurological and psychiatric disorders?

Neuroscientists investigate the molecular and cellular levels of the nervous system; the systems within the brain, such as vision and hearing; and behavior produced by the brain. This research provides the basis for understanding the medical fields

concerned with treating nervous system disorders. These medical specialties include neurology, neurosurgery, psychiatry and ophthalmology.

Neuroscientists have made enormous strides in understanding our most mystifying organ and treating disorders of the brain and nervous system that affect an estimated 50 million Americans each year. Stroke, spinal cord injury, chronic pain, learning disabilities, depression - these are but a few of the areas being addressed by neuroscientists.

Neuroscience research priorities include the following:

●Basic research in neurochemistry, neurogenetics, neuropathology, and other fundamental neurosciences, to identify the secrets of the brain and nervous system that will open the door to new clinical opportunities.

●Applied research to understand the brain's control of behavior, mood and innate creativity, and clinical trials to develop and bring to the market effective therapeutics for the treatment of neurological diseases, including research on the availability, access, use, and costs of mental health care and further development of promising model programs and treatments.

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Brain Awareness Week: What is Neuroscience?

●Research efforts in the genetic basis of neurological disorders to address the increasing evidence of the genetic basis for many diseases.

●Mechanisms of repair to identify how the brain restores itself after being damaged and to further explore the fundamental neurobiology of the normal nervous system.

●Training of research scientists and clinicians in the field of neuroscience, to develop the basis for tomorrow's research.

Statistics Regarding Neurological Diseases And Disorders

●50 million Americans have a permanent, neurological disability that limits their daily activities.

●1 in 3 Americans will experience some form of mental disorder at some point in their lives, and more people are hospitalized with neuropsychiatric disorders than any other disease.

●18 million Americans suffer from depression. Disability from depression exceeds that of diabetes, hypertension, gastrointestinal, and lung diseases, and costs $43.7 billion annually.

●More than 1 in 20 Americans have developmental disorders of the nervous system, such as cerebral palsy, spina bifida, mental retardation, and learning disorders. Health care associated with these disorders costs $30 billion annually.

●9 million children and adolescents in the U.S. are affected by a mental, behavioral, or developmental disorder; only one third of them get treatment.

●4 million older Americans suffer from Alzheimer's Disease at a cost of $100 billion each year, primarily from nursing home and other costs of long term care.

●3 million incidences of stroke are reported each year at a cost of $30 billion. 1,200 Americans are new stroke victims every day; 1/3 of these die and 1/3 are permanently disabled.

●3 million Americans are affected by panic disorders during their lifetimes. The suicide rate for these individuals is 20 times that of the general population.

●2 million Americans suffer from schizophrenia, the most chronic and disabling of mental illnesses. The cost for treatment is $32.5 billion annually. Approximately 300,000 new cases are diagnosed every year.

●1 million Americans suffer from genetic disorders resulting in brain and nerve damage. More than 1000 of these genetic disorders have been identified, many of which result in disability or death.

●1 million cases of traumatic head injury are reported each year, resulting in 100,000 deaths and health

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