Urie Bronfenbrenner Developmental Context Examples

Developmental Context Essay
Throughout history, there have been several theories to explain how humans develop, grow, and what influences us. One of these theories seeks to explain all the aspects that influence a person. This is Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory. In his theory, Bronfenbrenner sought to categorize the different factors that affect the development of a child. He does this with what he calls, “systems”, of which Bronfenbrenner defined five. The first is the microsystem. These are the things that impact a child directly, such as the family they live with, the school they attend, and other people they interact with directly. The mesosystem involves the interactions between anything in the child’s microsystem. Examples

This means my child and I will have similar macrosystems that affect us. This includes strong family values, a hard work ethic, and the importance of education. But, being second-generation, my child would not experience other aspects of our culture that could be considered more problematic. For example, my child would not have gender roles forced upon them the way they were forced onto me and many first-gen Mexican-Americans. According to the text, Child Growth and Development, “scholars generally regard gender as a social construct, meaning that it doesn’t exist naturally but is instead a concept that is created by cultural and societal norm” (Paris et al., 2020, p. 399). This means my child would have more freedom to express themselves in whatever way they want, rather than trying to conform to gendered expectations. In addition, my child would be growing up in one of the most diverse areas on the planet. Here in Orange County, my child would likely be interacting with children from various backgrounds at school. This may result in my child being affected by multiple cultures and beliefs, or different macrosystems that would not be possible if I were raising my child in, say, Mexico. As a result, my child would be less likely to harbor any intolerant views of people who are different from them as they grow up. This is supported by a study in Britain, which

My potential child would live in a world with constant internet and technology access through phones, tablets, TV’s, etc. As someone who would want to limit the amount of screen time my child has, I myself would have to limit my own screen time. A study found that parents who have higher screen times results in their toddlers having more screen time as well (Lee et al., 2018). The fact that my child would be part of the first generations with constant screens will leave a mark on my child, one that we still don’t know how it will manifest later on. Also, my child would grow up in a time period that is very accepting of historically marginalized groups. While there is a lot of work that still needs to be done, my child would likely grow up with inclusive values and beliefs that are unique to the current time