Interconnectedness: Human and Environmental Adaptation

Social systems attempt to protect their survival through adaptation and self-preservation and are interrelated and interdependent; human systems and their environments are intricately connected to one another (Canda, Chatterjee, and Robbins, 2012). With this said, people and their environments are involved in a process of continual adaptation to one another and must be viewed holistically (Canda, Chatterjee, and Robbins, 2012). There are theories that adopt a systems perspective, however most focus primarily on the individual, interpersonal, some on society, and others on the earth ecological. Variation in their focus also leads to variation in their levels of application. Dynamic systems and the ecological approach are usually seen as having

Germain (1973), states, “The ecological perspective has been proposed as an unifying paradigm that can apply to the numerous and diverse models of social work practice.” Ecosystems theory was an offshoot of functionalism, ecological theory, dynamic system theory, and many other psychological and developmental theories, it is also known as the ecological perspective and the life model (Canda, Chatterjee, and Robbins, 2012). Ecosystems theory focuses on the transactions between people and their environments. An important component of this theory is the ecological notion of interface, or common boundaries between systems (Canda, Chatterjee, and Robbins, 2012). Interface, “takes into account the fluidity in the arena of social functioning in which both the person and the environment are involved” (Canda, Chatterjee, and Robbins, 2012). “Goodness of fit” is a term that means, between people and their environments enable people and their environments to reciprocally adapt to one another (Canda, Chatterjee, and Robbins, 2012).when inputs or stimuli are insufficient, excessive, or missing altogether, an upset occurs in the adaptive balance which is conceptualized as stress; the usual fit between the person and environment has broken down (Canda, Chatterjee, and Robbins, 2012). Stress is a transactional concept rather than an individual or situational one. Stress is a psychosocial condition, generated by discrepancies between needs and capacities and environmental qualities (Canda, Chatterjee, and Robbins,