Ecological Systems Theory: Exploring the Development of the Theoretical Framework as Conceived by Bronfenbrenner Marcus Crawford Social Work Education Department, FresnoState, 5310 N. Campus Drive, Fresno, CA 93740, United States. Journal of Public Health Issues and Practices Crawford, M., (2020). J Pub Health Issue Pract 4(2):170 https://doi.org/10.33790/jphip1100170 Article Details Article Type: Research Article Received date: 18 th September, 2020 Accepted date: 15 th October, 2020 Published date: 22 nd October, 2020 * Corresponding Author: Dr. Marcus Crawford, Social Work Education Department, FresnoState, 5310 N. Campus Drive, Fresno, CA 93740, United States. E-mail: marcuscrawford@csufresno.edu Citation: Crawford, M. (2020). Ecological Systems theory: Exploring the development of the theoretical framework as con- ceived by Bronfenbrenner. J Pub Health Issue Pract 4(2):170. doi: https://doi.org/10.33790/jphip1100170. Copyright: ©2020, This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Abstract The Ecological Systems theory represents a convergence of biological, psychological, and social sciences. Through the study of the ecology of human development, social scientists seek to explain and understand the ways in which an individual interacts with the interrelated systems within that individual’s environment (Bronfenbrenner, 1983a). Bronfenbrenner (1994) sought to develop a theory of human development that would consider the infuences of all of the systems that play a role in impacting the lived experiences of the individual no matter how remote the infuence. Today, many of these concepts are commonplace in social work practice (micro-, meso-, and macrosystems, for instance); however, its foundation of empirical support is often less understood. This article will explore the historical development of the Ecological Systems theory through the works of Bronfenbrenner, will examine the empirical evidence supporting the theory, and will discuss the implications of the theory within social work practice. Keywords: Ecological Systems; Bronfenbrenner; Human Development; Micro, Meso, Exo, Macro, Chrono Introduction Ecological Systems theory describes human development through the prism of the "environmental interconnections and their impact on the force directly affecting psychological growth" [1]. Through the study of the ecology of human development, social scientists seek to explain and understand the ways in which an individual interacts with the interrelated systems within that individual’s environment [2]. The theory represents a convergence of biological, psychological, and social sciences. According to Bronfenbrenner [1], “human development is the product of interaction between the growing human organism and its environment" (p. 16) with the developing person seen as malleable within the social milieu of his or her environment. The change needs to be experiential and lasting in order for development to occur [1]. The Ecological Systems theory provides a theoretical framework whereby the processes that shape human development may be examined and discovered [3, 4]. Bronfenbrenner [5] expanded on the theoretical writings of other human developmental theorists before him, namely Lewin, Thomas and Thomas, Mead, and Freud. This article will explore the historical development of the Ecological Systems theory through the works of Bronfenbrenner, will examine the empirical evidence supporting the theory, and will discuss the implications of the theory within social work practice. Development of Ecological Systems Bronfenbrenner [2] sought to craft a view of human development that could explain growth without examining defcits within the person, which had been common practice in many developmental models previously developed. Before the introduction of Ecological Systems theory, a General Systems theory was introduced by Bertalanffy. In describing General Systems theory, Bertalanffy [6] wrote the theory had moved from a primarily engineering and computer technology theory to a social sciences theory as a way to describe how humans interact with each other. Prior to the development of General Systems theory, most scientifc study sought to reduce systems to the smallest units of measure and investigate them independently of each other; however, General Systems theory posited that whole systems could (and should) be examined intact with their interaction with each other being the important function for science to explore [6]. While the development of General Systems theory pertained mainly to scientifc and mathematical concepts at the time, the model may be applied within social science as its central role is to “explain phenomena or order in terms of interactions of processes” [7]. Many social science studies from the 1950s through 1970s focused only on a child or only on the parents; the studies did not consider the reciprocal infuences that the child and parent would have on each other. Bronfenbrenner [1] proposed that systems of infuence within an individual’s immediate life each impacted the individual in different ways; however, he proposed the individual also had an impact on these systems [8]. This whole-person approach in examining the individual within the environmental systems of infuence is rooted in the concepts of General Systems theory [6]. The systems within a person’s environment occur at different levels, described by Germain [9] as “Chinese boxes ft inside one another” (p. 537). Bronfenbrenner [1] would propose the following systems: micro, meso, exo, and macro, later adding the chrono [10]. The micro, meso, and macro systems had been previously labelled by Brim [11]. Microsystem The person’s immediate environment comprises a system of infuence called the microsystem. Bronfenbrenner [1] defned the microsystem as “"a pattern of activities, roles, and interpersonal relations experienced over time by the developing person in a given setting with particular physical and material characteristics" (p. 22). Later, Bronfenbrenner would expand upon this defnition: interaction in this level may be social or symbolic and should be sustained in J Pub Health Issue Pract JPHIP, an open access journal Volume 4. 2020. 170 ISSN- 2581-7264