Defining Ecological Theory

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Defining Ecological Theory According to Malley-Morrison and Hines (2004), abuse is a very broad term, and it conveys images of destructive implications, so maltreatment is used by the author to define two diverse stages of abuse (p. 16). One level consists of the dangerous but lest severe form of abuse such as hitting, shoving, or calling someone names. There is violent abuse which consists of sexual abuse or injury to the person. The Ecological model is the model used by the Department of Health and Human Services to report and it helps the workers identify the underlying reasons, origins, and magnitude of working with child abuse and domestic violence. The ecological model will be explained on the different levels, it is a set of ideas which include the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and the macro-system. The microsystem is the individual’s surroundings composed of the individual’s domain including home and school, so the individual interactions are relevant as he interacts with environment around during this particular life stage. The mesosystem is the environmental setting the evolving individual inhabits with other roles in the bigger community like school or work. Historically, the exosystem is an addition of the mesosystem including the media, broadcasting, transportation, and the diverse government agencies. The definition of macro-system is all the different systems surrounded by all the smaller microsystems; furthermore, an event can affect another system surrounding the individual. An example could be the recession affects the different members of the family. There are four different stages, and the first one is societal (macro-system) which are the cultural and social norms that guide and shape behaviors. Societ... ... middle of paper ... ... one parent striking another parent while growing up. These children grew up witnessing abuse, and it affects their immediate environment. (381) Finally, The Ecological model is used by most workers of human services functioning with child abuse and domestic violence. References Cuevas, C. A., Sabina, C., & Milloshi, R. (2012). Interpersonal victimization among a national sample of Latino women. Violence Against Women, 18(4), 377-403. Klevens, J. (2007). An overview of intimate partner violence among Latinos. Violence Against Women, 13(2), 111-122. Krug, E. G., Mercy, J. A., Dahlberg, L. L., & Zwi, A. B. (2002). The world report on violence and health. The Lancet, 360(9339), 1-360. Hazen, A. L., & Soriano, F. I. (2007). Experiences with intimate partner violence among Latina women. Violence Against Women, 13(6), 562-582.

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