Theories Of Bronfenbrenner

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Recommended: Written report about Bronfenbrenner ecological theory

Leaving Your Environment Behind
In the world we live in reality in an individual’s eyes will always be based on things and people that surround that person. In Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Theory of human development there are four main concepts supporting his theory which are Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem, and Macrosystem. The basic idea behind this theory is that the environment will always influence the reality of an individual. On the other hand there are those who stand by the idea that a person’s biological influences are the key factors which will influence the way an individual accelerates in life. In Piaget’s theory of cognitive development he stands by the idea that we as humans have different stages in which we achieve a higher cognitive ability based on our biological capabilities. Although both of these theories have significant reason behind them I feel that from a teachers point of view a child’s social interactions with the outside world have the biggest effect when it comes to development and their motivation and will to succeed in life.
The idea that people learn based on their surroundings is an idea well supported by theorist Bronfenbrenner. In his theory he discusses his four different environmental systems. According to an article on enotes.com the five systems are Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem, and Macrosystem. The first environmental system is Microsystem and this idea “refers to the immediate surroundings of an individual” (enotes). This idea is best described when thinking of people and areas that are mostly associated with a certain individual. The second idea is the Mesosystem and this concept of Bronfenbrenner’s theory is based on the connections between concepts. An example of this idea wou...

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...body wants anybody to succeed. Even though many of them might have great potential like my friend they almost never think they can succeed in a society like ours is set up. This concept is what Bronfenbrenner referred to as the Macrosystem.
To this day the person from the story remains my best friend and I completely understand the reality he had to encounter. Even though theorists like Piaget say that someone’s biological influences have the most impact on a person’s life the environment of an individual will always show greater impact on their life. In this example we saw how a kid with the most potential didn’t do as well as he should have because of the reality he was surrounded by. I am left with the idea that because of the world we live in there will always be those many who don’t “succeed” in life because of the way their environment impacts their beliefs.

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