What Is Ecological Systems Theory?

How is a child's development affected by their social relationships and the world around them? Ecological
systems theory provides one approach to answering this question. The ecological systems theory was developed
by Urie Bronfenbrenner.
Bronfenbrenner believed that a person's development was affected by everything in their surrounding
environment. He divided the person's environment into five different levels: the microsystem, the mesosystem,
the exosystem, the macrosystem, and the chronosystem. In this lesson, you will learn about these different
environmental levels by meeting five-year-old Alex and examining the influences in his life.
Microsystem
We will begin with the first level of Bronfenbrenner's theory: the microsystem. The microsystem is the system
closest to the person and the one in which they have direct contact. Some examples would be home, school,
daycare, or work. A microsystem typically includes family, peers, or caregivers. Relationships in a microsystem
are bi-directional. In other words, your reactions to the people in your microsystem will affect how they treat
you in return. This is the most influential level of the ecological systems theory.
Let's look at the microsystem Alex lives in. The first part of his microsystem is his home environment. This
includes his interactions with his parents and little sister. Alex's school is also part of his microsystem. His regular
school interactions are with his kindergarten teacher and the other children in his class.
Mesosystem
The next level of ecological systems theory is the mesosystem. The mesosystem consists of the interactions
between the different parts of a person's microsystem. The mesosystem is where a person's individual
microsystems do not function independently, but are interconnected and assert influence upon one another.
These interactions have an indirect impact on the individual.
One aspect of Alex's mesosystem would be the relationship between his parents and his teacher. His parents
take an active role in his school, such as attending parent/teacher conferences and volunteering in his classroom.
This has a positive impact on his development because the different elements of his microsystem are working
together. Alex's development could be affected in a negative way if the different elements of his microsystem
were working against one another.
Exosystem
The exosystem is the next level we will examine. The exosystem refers to a setting that does not involve the
person as an active participant, but still affects them. This includes decisions that have bearing on the person,
but in which they have no participation in the decision-making process. An example would be a child being
affected by a parent receiving a promotion at work or losing their job.
One part of Alex's exosystem would be his father's workplace. Alex's father is in the Navy. This often takes him
away from the family, and Alex sometimes does not see his father for months at a time. This situation impacts
Alex, and he becomes anxious when his father leaves. Alex's anxiety has an effect on his development in other
areas, even though he has no interaction with his father's work or say in the decision making process.
Macrosystem
The fourth level of ecological systems theory is the macrosystem. The macrosystem encompasses the cultural
environment in which the person lives and all other systems that affect them. Examples could include the
economy, cultural values, and political systems. The macrosystem can have either a positive or a negative effect
on a person's development. For an example, consider the different effects on the development of a child growing
up in a third-world economy versus that of the United States.

An important aspect of Alex's macrosystem is the fact that he is a military child. Because of this, he has already
moved three times and lived in two different countries by the age of five. Alex is also influenced by the values of
the military community that he belongs to.
Chronosystem
The chronosystem is the final level in ecological systems theory. The chronosystem is the dimension of time in
relation to a person's development. Time can be relevant in different ways. One way time can be an influence is
the timing of an event during a person's development. For example, the death of a parent would affect a threeyear-old differently than a teenager. Time can also be an influence because of historical events or conditions that
exist during a person's life. An example would be the effects of growing up during the Great Depression or during
World War II.
Technology is one important part of Alex's chronosystem. Alex has grown up using a computer and playing video
games. He even received his own iPad as a Christmas present. This could have a developmental impact on
his learning style and social skills. Alex's experience with technology is also very different from that of a child
growing up 20 years earlier.
Lesson Summary
Ecological systems theory was developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner. He divided the environment into five different
levels. The microsystem is the most influential, has the closest relationship to the person, and is the one where
direct contact occurs. The mesosystem consists of interactions between a person's microsystems. The exosystem
affects a person indirectly, without their direct involvement. The macrosystem includes all other systems and the
societal culture surrounding a person. Finally, the chronosystem refers to the dimension of time and can be
divided into two parts: the importance of the timing of an event during a person's development, or events that
are unique to a particular generation. Each of these levels includes systems that influence the development of an
individual in some way.