The Bioecological Model of Human Development - Coursework Example

Topic:  The Bioecological Model of Human Development The bio-ecological model of human development is a theoretical study, wherein a research design has been implemented to study the process of human development. The bio – ecological model of human development has been initiated by the renowned scholar of developmental psychology Urie Bronfenbrenner. “In the bioecological model, development is defined as the phenomenon of continuity and change in the biopsychological characteristics of human beings, both as individuals and as groups”. The ecological system theory of Bronfenbrenner states that, the nature of human development is largely influenced by the environment one have been living in. “However, practically speaking, it is the environment with which one interacts will mold the developmental process of an individual”(thesis). The Bronfenbrenner states that, there are basically four fundamental environmental system with which a person interacts, during his process of psychological development. They are micro system, mesosystem, exosystem and macrosystem . These in concise refers to the influence of institutions and groups, family and school experiences, social setting in a family environment, culture and living pattern in the development of child’s cognitive ability. A child’s life is of utmost importance to the parents and society; hence a substantial stand should be taken by both to comprehend about the role of ecology in developing a child’s mentality. Even though there are different theories to the human development concept, the environmental context plays an important role according to the bio-ecological model theory. A person’s human development is completely depended upon the people and situation he come into contact in short term and long term basis. The Summary of Four Basic System of Bio-ecological development It is an argued fact that, in a child’s development stages, there is credible influence from four basic system of bio-ecological human development .These four basic systems are connected to the environmental aspect of a baby, where he is born and nurtured as he grew up. The main four systems which motivate the psychological development of a child are micros system, mesosystem, exosystem and macrosystem. It is important for every individual to know about the mental developmental process of a child. Since every child is different, the treatment given to the child also needs to multi-faceted .Some children are more adjustable to any unpredictable environment while some are vulnerable to harsh situations. So it is very crucial for the individuals to understand the role played by the environment in molding a child’s future. In the four basic systems, the micros system refers to the early stages of infant where it learns matters from the family members through interactions. Here the information is heard and experienced by the infant and it is embedded in his brain as a procedure of child’s development. The individuals who are part of micro system are family members, friends, teachers, child care and so on. However when it is the question of mesosystem, it is the interaction between two micro system as in a teacher communicating with a parents regarding the issue concerned by a child. Here the specific individual who is the centre of issue does not have direct contact to the communication. The other two basic system of bio-ecological model are exosystem and macro system wherein other aspects of ecological influence on child’s development are studied. The exosystem is the setting or event in which the child has no specific role to play but still he is affected in an indirect manner. Some of the factors which affect the child in exosystem are environmental regulation, financial upheaval social unrest, government reforms, and new laws and so on. On the other hand macrosystem is the most complex and abstract form of system in Bronfenbrenner’s bio-ecological model of human development. Here the macro system refers to the role of culture, subculture, lifestyle and nature of society in developing the psychological development of a child. Although, these four basic systems make the foundation for the child’s psychological development, these systems differ from each other on a normal scale. The Difference of these four systems in bio-ecological development The four models of bio –ecological human development differ from each other on various grounds. Generally speaking microsystem deals with immediate family members and their influence on child, while mesosystem is the interaction between two microsystem. Then the microssytem deals with home atmosphere and exosystem deals with external environment of a society. In case of macrossytem the culture, lifestyle and living pattern holds a role in changing the cognitive development of a child. Here, the primary importance can be given to the microsystem as it is the main foundation system where a child establishes its identity. is also credible difference between mesosystem system and exosystem as former is the connection between two microsytem as in relationship with two parties in a family environment, while later deals on the effect of outside factors on the human development of a child. Mesosystem is also different from macrosystem, as former is dealing with interaction of two family members ,while latter describes about the influence of culture, sub culture and living pattern of a society on a child’s development. In their book(Shaffer& Kipp,2010,Pg.64)mentions that“ The macrosytem is really a broad, overarching ideology that dictates, how children should be treated, what they should be taught, and the goals for which they should strive” When we consider microsystem and macrosytem, the former explains how a parent or family member can change the psychological development of an infant and latter suggests what type of culture of subculture need to be planted in a child’s mind in order to beget a well disciplined teenager. On the other hand, if we think of exosystem and macrosystem, the former portrays about the role of government or social laws in the shaping up of a child’s future, while latter depicts about the role of culture or living style of family or society in molding a child. In total, it is this complex and varied nature of different systems of bio-ecological model that bestow rich experience, good ethical and moral value and diverse personality to the child as he grows up. The outside influences that impact a child’s development Since every one of us is living in a condition where we are affected by the infrastructure of family, society and nation, there are lot of external factors which impact the psychological development of a child in its early and later years. The primary outside factor which affects the mental working pattern of a child is the school environment where he interacts with. Here he have peers and teacher to deal with, wherein he grasps or absorbs considerable negative and positive elements. In a school environment, the teacher makes a great influence on the behavioral pattern and attitude of a child. Generally a teacher and peers of a child can enhance or destroy his personality structure. If a teacher and peers of a child is of aggressive or violent nature, a student can experience suffocation and restriction which can lead to defect in the child’s mental and cognitive development. In general, any school environment is filled with adverse and favorable condition, thus a child can imbibe good and bad qualities according to his encounter with specific type of people. However, if the child gets positive upbringing at home, it can obstruct the negative behavioral pattern from teacher and peers in a school environment. Sometimes it can be found that affectionate and caring teacher can change the personality of a child immensely as school is the place where child interacts on a continuous and long term basis. Moreover, school and friends of a child can either bring forth motivation, aspiration and determination or possessiveness, jealousy and intimidation. A child also borrows a significant amount of behavioral qualities and personality features from the neighborhood or the residential community he is living in. The other outside influence on child’s development is migrated from the space irrelevant to his home and school environment. These are the social circle in which a child lives and culture and subculture of his community and government laws and policies governing a locality, state or nation. Here, the developing brain of a child interacts with the external environment to form a driving force in establishing the personality foundation of his future. According to (Hertzman, 2010) “Early in life, sensitive periods occur in the brain when the child is disproportionately sensitive to the influences of the external environment”. A child after infancy is tremendously influenced by many external factors which alter his internal and external outlook. Examples of Four basic system of bio-ecological model The four basic system of bio –ecological human development strongly form the foundation for the psychological development and cognitive potential of an individual. For example, when it comes to micros system, it deals with the role of parents in giving adequate affection and care to the infant in developing joyful experience and comfort. In the case of mesosystem, it can be the parents and teacher’s interaction in a useful manner to improve the language skills of a growing up child. In the matter of exosystem, the example can be the government’s role to ban alcohol in the society which can improve the consciousness of a growing up child. In the macrosystem, it can be the culture of pop music that can have an impact on the quality of thinking of a child. . The impact the relationships and interactions have on a child’s development Generally, in the context of human psychological development, the child from his infancy to teenage is encountered with various relationship and human interactions. The initiating stage of this mental development starts with the immediate family members, who are the mother and father of a child. The child when the time he is born is strongly attached to their mother and absorbs warmth and comfort from her weaning and caring. It is during this time, the child gets happiness and joy for the further nourishment for his psychological and physical well being. As the child cross the infancy stage, it attains protection and confidence from the care and attention offered by his parents and family members. Here, the absence of any one party can lead to negativity in the comfort level of a child. When one child enters four or five years of age, the neighborhood residents can influence the child by conveying positive or negative behavioral to him. For example, if a child plays with a family in the neighborhood, he can absorb violent aggressive behavior from them or can get intimidated by their love and affection. A child brain can have serious impact by these situations and his personality development can be hampered or progressed according to the respective situation. And when he attends school, his teacher and peer usually put pressure on his cognitive ability which can create frustration, despair and discomfort to his mental consciousness. As the child grows more, the culture, religion, subculture of his family and society can reflect in his personality in a clear manner. Conclusion In psychological terms, the mental well being and upgrading of the cognitive ability of a child or a human is strongly based upon the experience they have received from their family and external environment. In today’s world, many stressful factors are faced by the families in all society, and this aspect creates direct impact on the psychological upbringing of a child. The different stressful factors like, alcohol and drug abuse, homelessness, violence and aggression can destroy the very psychological balance of a child. In a developed and modern country like America, there are numerous cases where the family members abandon the child, or the children are forced to join violent gangs to survive or entertain themselves. Here the Bronfenbrenner bio- ecological model assists in understanding more deeply the different systems that can influence the brain and personality development of the infant. As per (Swick) “Each system depends on the contextual nature of the person’s life and offers an ever growing diversity of options and sources of growth”. Generally speaking, the social circle of most countries is facing adversities due to the modern innovation and technological advancement embedded in them. People, especially children look for freedom at a very early stage of their life and parents due to less upbringing skill lead to the destruction of human development of a child. To conclude it can be stated that, the environment in which a child interacts forms the foundation of their personality. Work Cited Bronfenbrenner, U., & Morris, P. A. (n.d.). The Bioecological Model of Human Development. In columbia.edu.Retrieved September 21, 2012, from http://www.columbia.e du /cu/psychology/courses/3 615/Readings/BronfenbrennerModelofDevelopment.pdf Hertzman, C. (2010, November). Framework for the Social Determinants of. In child-encyclopedia.com. Retrieved September 23, 2012, from http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/docum ents/Hertz manA NGxp.pdf Swick, K. J. (2006, April). An Analysis of Bronfenbrenner’s Bio-Ecological Perspective. Early Childhood Education Journal, 33(5), 1 Shaffer, D. R., & Kipp, K. (2010). Developmental Psychology: Childhood and Adolescence (8thth ed., pp. 64-65). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. Read More