Assumptions?
- the scientific approach is essential in understanding human development
- the dvlping child NEVER exists outside sociopolitical, historical and ideological sets of circumstances
- questions of psychology must be questions of CONTEXT
Socio-historical location
(29 April) 1917 - 2005 (25 Sep) (88 diabetes)
- born Russian - moved to states age 6
- father psychologist
- university of Michigan (doctorate)
- hired as a psychologist in the American Army
Bronfenbrenner defines development as…
“The individual’s evolving conception of the ecological environment, how they relate to it, as well as thier growing capacity to discover, sustain or alter its properties”
Explanatory account
> Emphasis the ecological environments
- series of successive layers, each surrounding a smaller sphere (like concentric onion peels/russian dolls)
- each year represents a different level environmental system (eg Microsystems)
Emphasises multi-person systems of interaction
In all systems, the Indis experiences are understood in relation to SETTING, EXPERIENCE & ROLE
The Microsystem
Immediate context in which individual exists - directly impacts the person
- bi-directional relationships - complex relations between dvlping person and significant others/important figures
Mesosystem
A system of Microsystems
- interrelations among two or more settings in which developing person actively participants
- form when there is movement to a new setting
Setting, Experience and Role
Setting - a place where people can readily engage in face-to-face interaction
Role - a set of behaviours and expectations associated with a position in society
Experience
The ways in which the objective properties of environments are perceived by people in these environments
Exosystem
Social settings or organisational settings that extend beyond the child’s immediate sphere of experience
- nevertheless, affect his/her development
(Eg world of work)
Formal settings
Eg health care systems, neighbourhood, parents work
Informal settings
Eg parents or siblings circle of friends, social support group
Macrosystem
Includes all overarching institutional structures related to a culture or subculture
- eg political, social, legal systems through which other systems become manifest
- values, practices, traditions of society form part of the Microsystem
- this system spreads info, discourse, ideologies to smaller systems which will eventually influence the interrelationship within these systems
Chronosystem
The effects that the dimension of time has on dvlpment
2 ways of the Chronosystem
- Events and transitions which occur over the child’s lifespan
- The unique socio-historical placement of the individual
Ecological transition
An ecological transition occurs whenever a person’s position in the ecological environment is altered as the result of a change in ROLE, SETTING or both
- may occur throughout the lifespan and at any of the 4 levels of ecological environments
Weaknesses
- it is a DIFFICULT explanatory model to APPLY
- scope TOO EXTENSIVE
- how feasible is the consideration of everything
The scope is too extensive
Model may be difficult to apply due to its breadth, as almost everything is considered to influence the development of the child
Strengths
- Focuses on both the indi and the environment (non-deterministic)
- systemic - incorporates all aspects of the env - ie settings, relationships, interconnections, etc to the study of dvlpmt
