The Ecological Theory of Urie Bronfenbrenner

What is Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory of Systems?

The Urie Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory of Systems consists of an environmental approach to the development of the individual through the different environments in which he/she develops and which influence change and his/her cognitive, moral and relational development.

This theory can be applied in all areas of psychology and other sciences, since we start from the premise that human development occurs in interaction with genetic variables and the environment, and clearly exposes the different systems that make up personal relationships depending on the context in which they are found.

Bronfenbrenner's systems

From lesser to greater globality, Urie Bronfenbrenner names four systems that involve the primary nucleus understood as the individual himself. The systems are the following: microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem and macrosystem.

Microsystem

This is the most immediate or closest level in which the individual develops. The scenarios included in this system are the family, parents or school.

Mesosystem

It includes the interrelation of two or more environments in which the person actively participates. It can also be understood as the linkage between microsystems. Clear examples can be the relationship between family and school, or between family and friends.

3. Exosystem

This refers to the forces that influence what happens in the microsystems. In this case, the individual is not understood as an active subject. It is shaped, for example, by the nature of the parents' work, the relationships that a teacher maintains with the rest of the faculty, etc.

4. Macrosystem

Referred to the social, cultural and structural conditions that determine in each culture the general features of the institutions, contexts, etc. in which the person and the individuals of their society develop. It is constituted by a culture's own values, customs, etc.

To these spatial spheres must be added the chronosystemwhich introduces the temporal dimension into the scheme. This includes the cultural evolution and the living conditions of the environment.

Criticisms of this theory

The main criticism of this environmentalist vision is that it pays little attention to Biological and cognitive factors. biological and cognitive factors of development in its essence. In addition, it does not provide a sequence of developmental change as, for example, the theories of Jean Piaget and Erik Erikson. However, by placing so much emphasis on the contextual aspect of human development, which is a space in which it is possible to intervene directly, this theory is often used when talking about network education and the shared responsibility of education.

As social beings immersed in an environment with a specific culture and context, and at the same time, in constant transformation due to the globalized framework in which we are situated, the zeitgeistwe can think that personal development is created from the cultural intermediaries and the interrelation of the systems mentioned in Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory.

We should not only mention development through theoretical interactions, but to address existing criticisms of the model, the interaction between personality variables and the environment must be taken into account.The sum of the systems is both a socializing and individualizing agent, and serves to understand the development of the individual in different contexts.