Bronfenbrenner's Bioecological Model: A Case Study

To truly understand a person, one needs to analyze their interactions amongst their life. Bronfenbrenner, a psychologist, developed a bioecological model to conceptualize four different ecological systems that an individual comes in contact with and plays a role in their development. (Howe, 2018) In general, numerous factors and relationships of an individual interconnect to develop one’s sense of being. In my case, living with an economic disadvantage played a part in my microsystem and exosystem resulting in several developing factors. Furthermore, growing up in a low-income household can present challenges, yet it can generate fortitude and harmonious relationships.
When thinking about families surviving in poverty, one could only imagine

Our living situation was rough due to use being borderline broke and only affording a three bedroom home. What made matters worse was the fact that my father was the only provider for the family and even he happened to be unemployed for most of the year. My father’s occupation was working for refineries, which meant no permanent jobs. Once a shutdown job completed it was back to unemployment for my father. Ultimately, welfare ensured our family’s survival. Food Stamps, Medicaid, Unemployment, and even Child Support all participated in our aid to survival. Welfare became a safety net for our well-being. That being said, we had to learn how to survive on a practically nonexistent income. My mother became our holy grail when it came to our survival. Living pay check to pay check and making a month’s worth of Food Stamps last three months was my mother’s specialty. Learning budget tactics from observing my mother deal with money became a hobby of mine. Although one would find these skills to be useful to have, I found it to be more troublesome. The implications of growing up in poverty allow one to realize the true value of money. My parents taught me at a young age that money is always a luxury and should not be used carelessly. Consequently, I grew up to be quite a miser. The type of person who would find ways to avoid using money at all times. For example, if I forgot my lunch for work, then I would rather not eat and save money than buying a lunch. I consider money too valuable to waste towards items or situations that are not necessary. Nonetheless, this mentality is damaging to have because it restricts myself from being tolerable with losing money. Money is such a materialistic item that should not hold power over anyone, but it does for me, unfortunately. All things considered, poverty and welfare services seem to go hand in hand, and this exosystem factor can fabricate unfavorable