In 1964, a young psychologist appeared before the US congress with a mission.
It was a time when most people thought that the reason poor people stayed poor
was a matter of biology and had nothing to do with the environment they grew up in.
The psychologist, Uri Bronfenbrenner, wanted to change that and convince the world that
to help those less fortunate, we also need to change their surroundings. But did he succeed?
Bronfenbrenner's Ecological System Theory conceives that a child is influenced by five
ecological forces.
First comes the microsystem of family and friends that affect the child directly.Second
are the forces of the connections between the people around the child:parents with teachers
and teachers with peers.
Then there are links between social settings that do not directly involve the child,such
as the father with his boss,the peers with their parents and the teacher with the principal.
Next, is the overarching culture, religion and social norms that influences all others.And
lastly, there is time - which changes everything over the course of one’s life.
Children are born into a Microsystem that influences the child's experiences directly.
Children from unfortunate backgrounds are more likely to experience problematic family
structures -even if it’s simply for the fact that parenting is more difficult if you
are poor.They also encounter more negative situations at school or bad influences through
friends.
Consequently, a child that grows up in a negative microsystem,will find it hard to succeed.
The Mesosystem represents the interconnections between the elements that surround the child.
For example the relationship between the father and the school teachers.
If the father doesn’t get along with a teacher,the child might suffer.
The EXOSYSTEM involves links between social settings that do not involve the child.For
example, a child's experience at home can be influenced by their parent's experiences
at work.
If the mother loses her job, there might be more arguments with the father,resulting in
changes in their interaction with the child.
The MACROSYSTEMdescribes the overarching culture that influences all other systems,such as
a child’s geographic location and ethnicity.
Intelligent people who happen to live in bad places are more likely to move to better ones.But
that also means that they are more likely to be strangers in a richer society.
So regardless of the child’s biological potential or upbringing, on a macro level
he or she may still be at a disadvantage.
The CHRONOSYSTEM,refers to changes in the child,and the environment over time.As the
child grows up the parents may stop loving each other and divorce, which can be traumatic
for an eight year old boy.Five years later, he may have come to terms with how things
turned out.But when the boy turns 16, his mom’s new boyfriend moves into their tiny
apartment, and things get difficult again.[4]
Bronfenbrenner, who was influenced by Lev Vygotsky and Kurt Lewin, convinced the US
congress that a child’s prospect is not genetically predestined,but is the result
of the larger environment they happen to be placed in.
Children who grow up in unfortunate social structures therefore need a form of support
that not only reaches their families,but also elements of their community.
Bronfenbrenner's theory helped form the Head Start program in 1965,a government program
that has served more than 35 million poor children since.
Decades later, Bronfenbrenner and Stephen Ceciproposed an extension of this theory,
called the "bioecological model,.This new model recognizes gene–environment interactions
and acknowledges the role of heritability, but adds that genes themselve are under the
influence of the environment.In other words, the process of heritability varies in a magnitude
of potentials.
How much a child can make of the potential
they inherit,depends on the ecological environment.
Bronfenbrenner made a critical contribution to our realization that parent-child relationships
do not exist in a social vacuum but are embedded in the larger structures, such as community,
society, and culture.
In order to develop well, he allegedly said, “every child needs at least one adult who
is irrationally crazy about him or her.”
Now it’s your turn,make five circles, draw yourself in the center and add a timeline
at the bottom.
Then add all the people, institutions and forces that affect your life.
On the timeline below you can add some major events from the past and those you expect
in the future.
Can you tell how the 5 forces are shaping your life?
To read more about the topic or download the
video without background music, visit sproutsschools.com