Sociological Perspectives Of Ecological Systems Theory

One could argue that, out of the nine sociological perspectives, that of the Ecological Systems Theory is the most widely applicable to everyday life. Given the linear nature of the theory, it is ideal to compare to a sequence of events, such as a novel. Throughout the story, Ecological Systems Theory can be used to break down and explain events, the resulting reactions, their effects on what was to come, and the reasons that things happened in the ways that they did.

As the reader follows Megan along her journey, it becomes immediately clear how ecological systems theory is relevant. Each of her actions are influenced by the systems in place around her, beginning within her own mind: the microsystem. Megan begins her adventure by leaving

Her family would have to manage without her “I do not, will not, care. I’m going. And anyway, it will be good for her (Megan’s mother). She needs to take charge again. She’s been depending on me too much” (Lawson, 2014, p. 13). Though her plans had been to go to Toronto, her father lent her money to go directly to England, which in turn influenced her to do so. Once in England, Megan lost the suitcase carrying all of her belongings, and by result found herself in the hazy, crowded flat that Cora had supposedly lived in; she did not anymore. Upon meeting the members of the flat, Megan was allowed to stay there. Seeing how messy the flat was made her want to clean it, but she did not allow herself to be influenced in this manner again “When she’d first seen the kitchen Megan’s first impulse had been to scour it top to bottom. But she hadn’t flown three thousand miles to fall into that trap again.” (Lawson, 2014, p. 114). Not wanting to stay in that flat, she found herself a job,

The largest, overarching influence upon him was the suicide of his best friend, Robert. After this, Tom’s life came to a screeching halt. Nothing seemed important anymore, and he lost all interest in pursuing his once-passionate career in aeronautical engineering. Tom felt as though death followed him “He never thought about anything but death anymore. It was with him every waking moment and stalked his dreams at night.” (Lawson, 2014, p. 91), which led him to constantly read The Globe and Mail, through every obituary. Though he tried to stay hidden in his paper, the mesosystem in which he resided began to become increasingly more stressful after Megan left. Given that none of his siblings helped around the house at all, and neither did his parents, Adam, Tom’s youngest brother, was having a difficult time as he was the only one not old enough to take care of himself. This left Tom in a corner: he had to take care of Adam, because literally nobody else would. “This was exactly what he’d been afraid of, the way one thing led to another, the way you got sucked into things. He couldn’t handle it.” (Lawson, 2014, p. 44). Since the stress was rising at home, Sherry was hired to help keep the house clean, and Tom began to spend more and more time at Harper’s Landing in order to avoid her and his family, where he was used to sitting in silence and