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This obscure love story takes place in Padua High School in the Seattle area, as well as many parts of the Seattle metropolitan area. The story centers around Kat Stratford and Patrick Verona who accidentally fall in love with one another after Patrick is paid to date her in order for her sister, Bianca Stratford to date.

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Kat Stratford is a gorgeous, intelligent, high school girl who's personality can come off as quite abrasive to her peers. This causes fellow high schoolers, specifically boys, to steer away from her as she comes off as hostile and rude. Cameron James is a new student to Padua High School and instantly falls in love with Kat's sister, Bianca. However, Camron's tour guide and new friend Michael let's him know that the Stratford sisters are "off limits," as their dad has made it very clear that the girls are not allowed to date until they have graduated high school.

Bianca tries to convince her dad to let her date, in which he agrees to let her do so only if her sister finds a boyfriend first. Bianca gets upset since Kat's unappealing demeanor and modern views make it nearly impossible for her to be in a romantic relationship. Bianca tells this information to Cameron in which he goes back to Michael and the two boys devise a plan to find someone for Kat to fall in love with. The include Joey Donnor in this plan as well to pay whoever they choose to court Kat, however Joey has a plan of his own to get Bianca to like him since his friends made a bet that he wouldn't be able to.

Michael and Cameron choose Patrick Verona to court Kat, as he is rough around the edges with a care free spirit and seems to be the only boy brave enough to try to appeal to Kat. Joey offers him $75 to take Kat to the movies in which he is first reluctant but ultimately agrees and gets to work. Patrick and Kat have a few run ins here and there, but Kat seems totally uninterested and really wants nothing to do with Patrick. Eventually, Patrick gets Kat to agree to go to a party with him where Kat lets loose and has a great time. Love begins to spark between the two, but the night is ruined when Patrick refuses to kiss Kat because she's drunk. Kat and Patrick don't speak for a few days and eventually Patrick wins her back by singing to her in the stand while she's at soccer practice. The separation causes the two to realize they have true, genuine feelings for one another and the movie ends by Kat reading a poem to her english class she wrote about her feelings towards Patrick.

This movie explores various themes and ideas such as rebellion, love, and self acceptance. The whole purpose of the film is to show how vulnerability is not a weakness and emphasize the importance of being one's self and not doing things just because that's what "everybody else is doing."

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Urie Bronfenbrenner was a born in Russia and moved to America when he was six years old. Bronfenbrenner's father was a neuropathologist who often pointed out the relationships between organisms and their surroundings, which essentially sparked the interest in Bronfenbrenner regarding human development. Bronfenbrenner is most famously known for his ecological systems theory of human development, which essentially said that a person develops from the social interactions they encounter and their surrounding environment. There are five stages in which he believed contained in one another to form a child's development: the microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem, the macrosystem, and the chronosytem.

Source: https://www.simplypsychology.org/bronfenbrenner.html

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Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory posits that an individual's development emerges from interconnected environmental systems, spanning intimate (family) to societal (culture) levels.

These systems include the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem, each influencing growth and behavior.

The Five Systems

1. Microsystem: Immediate environment and direct relationships (family, school, daycare, peers).

2. Mesosystem: Connections between microsystems, such as how parents and teachers communicate about a child's progress.

3. Exosystem: Indirect influences the child doesn't directly experience (parent's workplace stress, community resources, extended family networks).

4. Macrosystem: Broader cultural context shaping all systems: societal values, beliefs, laws, and socioeconomic status.

5. Chronosystem: Time dimension including life transitions, historical events (pandemics, wars), and societal changes that reshape development across the lifespan.

The Five Ecological Systems

Bronfenbrenner (1977) suggested that the child's environment is a nested arrangement of structures, each contained within the next. He organized them in order of how much of an impact they have on a child.

He named these structures the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and the chronosystem.

Because the five systems are interrelated, the influence of one system on a child's development depends on its relationship with the others.

1. The Microsystem

The microsystem is the first and innermost level of Bronfenbrenner's theory.

It consists of the people and settings that have direct, face-to-face contact with the child in their immediate environment.

It includes the child's most immediate relationships and environments. For example, a child's parents, siblings, classmates, teachers, and neighbors would be part of their microsystem.

Relationships in a microsystem are bi-directional, meaning other people can influence the child in their environment and change other people's beliefs and actions.

The interactions the child has with these people and environments directly impact development.

The child is not just a passive recipient but an active contributor in these bidirectional interactions.

Example:

Supportive parents who read to their child and provide educational activities may positively influence cognitive and language skills. Or, children with friends who bully them at school might develop self-esteem issues.

2. The Mesosystem

The mesosystem is where a person's individual microsystems do not function independently but are interconnected and exert influence upon one another.

This link matters. When home and school reinforce each other's values, children tend to perform and behave more consistently.

When home and school clash instead, such as a home that dismisses education while the school prizes it, the child gets no cross-setting support and may struggle.

Example:

A child whose parents are actively involved in their school life, such as attending parent-teacher conferences and volunteering for school events, may perform better academically.

3. The Exosystem

The exosystem is a component of the ecological systems theory developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner in the 1970s.

It incorporates other formal and informal social structures such as local governments, friends of the family, and mass media.

While not directly interacting with the child, the exosystem still influences the microsystems.

Other examples exist too. A parent losing a job, a library closing, or a change to social services can all indirectly affect a child. These changes still reshape the environments around them.

Example:

A parent's workplace policies can significantly affect a child's development.

If a company offers flexible working hours or work-from-home options, parents might have more time to spend with their children, positively impacting the child's emotional development and family relationships.

4. The Macrosystem

The macrosystem focuses on how cultural elements affect a child's development, consisting of cultural ideologies, attitudes, and social conditions that children are immersed in.

Beliefs about gender roles, individualism, family structures, and social issues establish norms and values that permeate a child's microsystems.

In short, it answers one question: what kind of society, with what values and resources, is this child growing up in?

Example:

In a society that highly values individual achievement, children might be encouraged to be more competitive and self-reliant.

This could influence parenting styles in the microsystem, with parents focusing more on personal accomplishments and independence.

Conversely, in a culture that emphasizes collective harmony, children might be raised to prioritize group needs over individual desires.

5. The Chronosystem

The fifth and final level of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory is known as the chronosystem.

The chronosystem relates to environmental changes over a child's lifetime. These changes may be predictable, such as starting school, or unpredictable, such as experiencing parental divorce.

Timing matters. The same event can affect a child differently depending on when in their life it happens, since a child's ecology is never static.

Example:

The introduction of widespread internet access and social media represents a significant chronosystem change for many children.

This technological shift has altered how children interact with peers, access information, and spend their leisure time, potentially affecting their social skills, cognitive development, and even sleep patterns.

Examples of what is included in the five ecological systems

Microsystem

* Immediate family (parents, siblings, grandparents)
* School environment (teachers, classmates)
* Peer group and close friends
* Extracurricular activities (sports teams, clubs)
* Healthcare providers (pediatrician, dentist)
* Neighborhood playmates
* Childcare arrangements

Mesosystem

* Parent-teacher communication
* Family-peer group interactions
* School-neighborhood connections
* Family-healthcare provider relationships
* Interactions between different friend groups
* Family-extracurricular activity connections
* Religious community-family interactions

Exosystem

* Parents' workplaces and policies
* Extended family networks
* Local community organizations
* School board decisions
* Social services and support systems
* Mass media and social media
* Local government policies
* Public transportation systems

Macrosystem

* Cultural norms and expectations
* Socioeconomic factors
* Educational policies and standards
* Healthcare systems
* Technological advancements
* Environmental attitudes and policies
* Gender roles and expectations
* Religious or philosophical ideologies

Chronosystem

* Major historical events (e.g., pandemics, wars)
* Technological shifts (e.g., rise of internet, social media)
* Changes in family structure (e.g., divorce, remarriage)
* Educational reforms
* Economic cycles (booms and recessions)
* Climate change and environmental shifts
* Generational cultural changes
* Personal life transitions (e.g., puberty, starting school)

The Bioecological Model

Bronfenbrenner (1994) renamed his theory the bioecological model. The new version shifts the focus from static environmental contexts to the dynamic, everyday interactions, or proximal processes, that actually drive development.

Initially conceptualized as an ecological model focused primarily on contextual influences, it matured into a more sophisticated bioecological model emphasizing the critical role of proximal processes in development.

These processes are defined as "enduring forms of interaction in the immediate environment" and are considered the primary engines of development.

The bioecological model offers a holistic view, moving beyond just social settings to incorporate biology, culture, and time, highlighting how genes and environment constantly influence each other to shape who we become.

Central to the mature theory is the Process-Person-Context-Time (PPCT) model. This model emphasizes the interplay between four key elements:

1. Process: The core proximal processes driving development

2. Person: Individual characteristics that influence these processes

3. Context: The environmental systems in which development occurs

4. Time: The temporal aspect of development, including both individual life course and historical time

His focus shifted from environmental influences to developmental processes that individuals experience over time.

'...development takes place through the process of progressively more complex reciprocal interactions between an active, evolving biopsychological human organism and the persons, objects, and symbols in its immediate external environment.' ( Bronfenbrenner, 1995).

Bronfenbrenner also suggested that we must consider the person, the context, and the developmental outcome together to understand how proximal processes affect development. These processes vary and affect people differently.

The bioecological shift emphasized process over context. However, the model still acknowledged the broader environmental systems from his original theory as an important contextual influence on proximal processes.

Classroom Application

The Ecological Systems Theory has been used to link psychological and educational theory to early educational curriculums and practice.

The developing child is at the center of the theory, and all that occurs within and between the five ecological systems is done to benefit the child in the classroom.

Home-School Communication: Teachers and parents should maintain good communication and work together, strengthening the mesosystem for the child's benefit.

Understanding Family Context: Teachers should understand the social and economic factors their students' families may be experiencing.

Positive School Ethos: A good parent-teacher relationship and a supportive school culture positively shape the child's development.

Active Participation: The child must be active in their own learning, collaborating with peers in meaningful experiences.

Head Start: The major US early-years program Bronfenbrenner helped found works simultaneously on the child's preschool, family involvement, and community services.

Several studies test this in real classrooms.

Lippard et al. (2018) tested Bronfenbrenner's theory by studying teacher-child relationships through teacher reports and classroom observations. They found these relationships significantly predicted children's academic achievement and classroom behavior, supporting the theory's emphasis on the microsystem.

Wilson et al. (2002) linked a positive school ethos, one that values diversity, to stronger student relationships. This shapes the child's whole ecological system.

Langford et al. (2014) found that whole-school approaches to the health curriculum improve both educational achievement and student well-being. This is clear evidence that the microsystem shapes development.

Critical Evaluation

Strengths

Below are some of the strengths of this theory:

Holistic: Bronfenbrenner's model quickly became a popular framework for psychologists, sociologists, and teachers studying child development, since it captures the interconnected nature of real family life.

Broadly Applicable: The theory provides a holistic approach covering every system children and families are part of, and it has shaped education, social work, and policy.

Immigrant Families: Paat (2013) found the theory useful for understanding the development of immigrant children.

Social Work: An understanding of a child's ecology can strengthen social work delivery for vulnerable children.

Nature-Nurture: Its bioecological form takes a sophisticated stance on nature and nurture. Bronfenbrenner and Ceci (1994) linked richer proximal processes to fuller genetic expression.

Limitations

Below are some of the limitations of this theory:

Mesosystem Understudied: There is limited research on the mesosystem, especially interactions between neighborhoods and the family, so its real impact on development is unclear.

Hard to Test: The theory is difficult to test empirically. Studies can show a system has an effect but cannot easily show it directly causes an outcome.

Near-Unfalsifiable: It covers almost every level of the environment, so it can fit nearly any finding after the fact and is hard to disprove.

Deficit Assumption: The theory can imply that children lacking strong, positive ecological systems are developmentally deficient, yet many people thrive without them.

Culture-Bound: What counts as a 'supportive' system reflects the largely Western, twentieth-century context the theory was developed in, so applying it across cultures needs care.

Often Misapplied: Tudge, Mokrova, Hatfield and Karnik (2009) found that most studies citing the theory use only the early contexts version and ignore proximal processes, the person, and time.

Contemporary Research

Recent studies continue to test and extend the theory. Zhou, Lin and Guo (2025) found that supportive neighborhoods buffered the pathway from family dysfunction and parenting stress to children's involvement in bullying. This is a direct demonstration of one ecological system moderating the effect of another.

The COVID-19 pandemic offered a real-world chronosystem event. It disrupted the microsystem through home confinement and remote schooling, the mesosystem through severed home-school and peer links, and the macrosystem through economic and public-health upheaval, all at once.

Together, these findings support the theory's core claim: development is inseparable from the systems and events surrounding a child.

Evolution and Relevance of Bronfenbrenner's Theory in the 21st Century

Bronfenbrenner's theory of human development has undergone significant evolution since its inception in the 1970s, raising questions about its current relevance and application.

Despite these advancements, the theory's relevance in the 21st century has been a subject of debate.

In today's world, rapid technological advances and social changes have raised important questions about the theory's applicability.

Critics point out that many researchers still misapply Bronfenbrenner's ideas, focusing narrowly on environmental contexts while overlooking the crucial roles of individual characteristics, interactions, and time.

Despite these challenges, the theory remains highly relevant. Its focus on the dynamic interplay between personal, environmental, and temporal factors offers a powerful framework for understanding development across diverse modern settings.

To stay useful in the 21st century, Bronfenbrenner's model must be applied thoughtfully:

Researchers need to center proximal processes in their designs.

The growing influence of technology and digital environments must be recognized.

Studies should account for developmental changes over time, not just static snapshots.

Neo-Ecological Theory

Building on Bronfenbrenner's work, Navarro and Tudge (2022) proposed a neo-ecological theory to address technological shifts. Their updates include:

Adding virtual microsystems to represent online environments, which differ from physical ones in their availability, publicness, and asynchronicity.

Recognizing the expanded role of the macrosystem, as technology allows young people to actively shape cultural values and social norms.

Including digital interactions as new forms of proximal processes, emphasizing that meaningful development now often occurs through online activities and relationships.

By adapting Bronfenbrenner's principles to modern realities, researchers and educators can continue to use the ecological approach to better understand human growth in an increasingly digital and interconnected world.

How to reference this article:

Guy-Evans, O (2020). Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/bronfenbrenner.html

Frequently Asked Questions

Key Takeaways

Five Systems: Development is shaped by five nested systems, from the immediate microsystem to the broad macrosystem, unfolding across time in the chronosystem.

Bidirectional: The child both shapes and is shaped by their environment. They are an active contributor, not a passive recipient.

Indirect Effects: Distal systems like the exosystem affect the child indirectly, by altering the more immediate systems around them, such as a parent's workplace.

Bioecological Model: Bronfenbrenner later revised the theory to centre on proximal processes, the everyday interactions summarised by the PPCT framework.

Evaluation: The theory is widely applied but difficult to test empirically, and weaker on the mesosystem than the other systems.

Cite this article

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Guy-Evans, O. (2026). Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/bronfenbrenner.html

Guy-Evans, Olivia. "Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory." Simply Psychology, 11 August 2026, https://www.simplypsychology.org/bronfenbrenner.html.

Guy-Evans, O. (2026) Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory. Simply Psychology. Available at: https://www.simplypsychology.org/bronfenbrenner.html (Accessed: 11 August 2026).

References

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1974). Developmental research, public policy, and the ecology of childhood. Child development, 45 (1), 1-5.

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1977). Toward an experimental ecology of human development. American psychologist, 32 (7), 513.

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1995). Developmental ecology through space and time: A future perspective.

Bronfenbrenner, U., & Evans, G. W. (2000). Developmental science in the 21st century: Emerging questions, theoretical models, research designs and empirical findings . Social development, 9 (1), 115-125.

Bronfenbrenner, U., & Ceci, S. J. (1994). Nature-nurture reconceptualised: A bio-ecological model. Psychological Review, 10 (4), 568-586.

Bronfenbrenner, U., & Morris, P. A. (1998). The ecology of developmental processes. In W. Damon & R. M. Lerner (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Theoretical models of human development (5th ed., pp. 993-1028). John Wiley & Sons, Inc..

Hayes, N., O'Toole, L., & Halpenny, A. M. (2017). Introducing Bronfenbrenner: A guide for practitioners and students in early years education. Taylor & Francis.

Kelly, M., & Coughlan, B. (2019). A theory of youth mental health recovery from a parental perspective. Child and Adolescent Mental Health, 24 (2), 161-169.

Langford, R., Bonell, C. P., Jones, H. E., Pouliou, T., Murphy, S. M., Waters, E., Komro, A. A., Gibbs, L. F., Magnus, D. & Campbell, R. (2014). The WHO Health Promoting School framework for improving the health and well‐being of students and their academic achievement. Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (4).

Leventhal, T., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2000). The neighborhoods they live in: the effects of neighborhood residence on child and adolescent outcomes. Psychological Bulletin, 126 (2), 309.

Lippard, C. N., La Paro, K. M., Rouse, H. L., & Crosby, D. A. (2018, February). A closer look at teacher-child relationships and classroom emotional context in preschool. In Child & Youth Care Forum 47(1), 1-21.

Navarro, J. L., & Tudge, J. R. (2022). Technologizing Bronfenbrenner: neo-ecological theory. Current Psychology, 1-17.

Paat, Y. F. (2013). Working with immigrant children and their families: An application of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 23 (8), 954-966.

Rosa, E. M., & Tudge, J. (2013). Urie Bronfenbrenner's theory of human development: Its evolution from ecology to bioecology. Journal of family theory & review, 5(4), 243-258.

Tudge, J. R., Mokrova, I., Hatfield, B. E., & Karnik, R. B. (2009). Uses and misuses of Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory of human development. Journal of family theory & review, 1(4), 198-210.

Wilson, P., Atkinson, M., Hornby, G., Thompson, M., Cooper, M., Hooper, C. M., & Southall, A. (2002). Young minds in our schools-a guide for teachers and others working in schools. Year: YoungMinds (Jan 2004).
Zhou, Q., Lin, C., & Guo, X. (2025). Family dysfunction, parenting stress, and child mental health: Associations with bullying involvement and the moderating role of neighborhood support. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1644696. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1644696
Further Information
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1974). Developmental research, public policy, and the ecology of childhood. Child Development, 45.
Diagrams of the Five Systems

This model identifies five levels: Microsystem (direct interactions), Mesosystem (connections between microsystems, e.g., parent-teacher), Exosystem (indirect influences, e.g., parent's workplace), Macrosystem (cultural values/laws), and Chronosystem (life events/historical context).

In Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory, the exosystem refers to external environments and social structures that indirectly influence an individual's development, even though the person isn't directly involved in them, such as a parent's workplace, local government, or community services. For example, a parent's job stress (exosystem) can affect their mood and interactions at home, indirectly impacting the child (microsystem).

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Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory explains that an individual's development is shaped by interconnected environmental systems, from immediate surroundings like family to broader societal structures like culture. These systems include the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem, each influencing growth and behavior.

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The first level in Bronfenbrenner's theory is the microsystem, which includes things that a child has direct contact with in their immediate environment. This includes relationships such as a child's parents, siblings, neighbors, classmates, teachers, etc. These are essentially the relationships in which a person can directly influence a child's opinions, actions, or beliefs. The interactions that the child has within these relationships directly impact their development.

Ex. a child who gets bullied by their peers at school may develop self esteem issues

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The mesosystem is essentially where the microsystems interact with one another to directly affect a child's development. They don't necessarily work independently, but instead co-exist together in order to benefit the child's environment.

Ex. parents who are active at their child's school (attending parent teacher conferences, extracurricular activities, etc) in order to ensure their child is exceeding academically. This shows the parents and teacher coming together in order to create a supportive environment for learning.

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This level in Bronfenbrenner's theory doesn't necessarily affect a child directly, however it does influence the microsystem and engages in their development that way. This is the level where formal and informal structures come into play such as the government, family friends, and social media.

Ex. a parent's job may have flexible hours and give them a chance to work from home, which allows them to stay home with their child and builds on the child's emotional development and family relationships.

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The macrosystem is the level in which cultural beliefs, ideologies, attitudes, and social conditions are examined within the emergence of a child. This does not refer to a specific event that develops the child, but instead is about the culture and society the child grows up in. Things such as gender roles, social issues, and political issues affect a child's microsystem.

Ex. a society that promotes individual achievement may influence parents to focus on their child's personal accomplishments and cause the child to develop independent and competitive tendencies.

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The chronosystem refers to unexpected transitions within a child's life such as switching schools or the divorce of one's parents. A child's reaction to unexpected circumstances ultimately reflects the support they've had in their ecological systems.

Ex. the covid-19 pandemic which caused kids to stay home for months and do schooling online. This essentially unexpectedly affected thousands of children's social interactional skills, family dynamics, etc.

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  Foundational Beliefs That       Underlies This Theory 

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  Foundational Beliefs That       Underlies This Theory 

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1. Environmental Influence: the environment in which a child grows up in (whether immediate or societal) directly impacts their development

2. Unified Systems: all the different ecological systems mentioned above collectively intertwine with one another and work together to build upon an individual's development

3. Time: an individual's development is a life long process in which the contexts shift based on life changes throughout the years

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While Bronfenbrenner's theory had some support, it also had some criticisms:

1. Difficulty Testing Empirically: While applying the ecological system theory led to positive outcomes, there was no direct complex that led psychologists to believe that the ecological system theory was the direct reason for those outcomes.

2. Systems Were Too Vague to Understand: Various aspects of the different system theories such as the mesosystem or chronosystem were to vaguely defined, leading psychologists to question how different socio-dynamics coexist with one another for a child's development. Some even suggest that Bronfenbrenner oversimplifies the complex dynamics amongst individuals and their environments.

Source:

https://helpfulprofessor.com/ecological-systems-theory-pros-cons/

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In other words, the development of an individual is the result of the complete 'ecology' of the child (consisting of biological, interpersonal, social, and cultural factors).

The 5 Levels of Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory
Bronfenbrenner's ecological system presents an ecological perspective of human development that is made up of 5 levels, with each successive level being a superset of the one preceding it.
These levels can be conceptualized visually as a ring of 5 concentric circles expanding outwards from the innermost (microsystem), to the outermost (chronosystem).

The microsystem is the system of influences in the most immediate proximity to the child.

These include institutions such as the family, the school, religion, and groups such as the child's immediate peer group.

The mesosystem is the sphere where the child's microsystems interact with each other, and in turn, influence the child.

For instance, the school and the family are two microsystems.

When the child's teachers at school interact with the parents in providing feedback (the child is a fast-learner, or the child has difficulty fitting in), this loops back into shaping the child's personality.

The prefix 'exo' is related to external, and thus an exosystem relates to factors that are not directly related to the child, and yet have an effect on the child.

For instance, if one or both the parents have a job that requires frequently relocating to a different geography (such as serving in the armed forces), the child may have to frequently shift schools and make new friends.

This can have a major influence in shaping the child's personality.

The macrosystem is the larger, overarching cultural, social, and political context in which the child finds themselves embedded.

For instance, different societies have different cultural norms and values that children imbibe. A child growing up in a tribal community in sub-Saharan Africa is shaped by a different macrosystem than another child growing up in an urban Scandinavian town.

'Chronos' means time in Greek, and the chronosystem relates to the set of changes that occur in a person's life over a period of time.

These changes could be personal events, such as the divorce of one's parents, the loss of a sibling or friend, or they could be external, such as wars, natural disasters, etc.

The chronosystem thus extends well beyond the childhood stage of development, and accounts for factors influencing human development throughout their life.

Examples of Ecological Systems Theory in Practice

1. Head Start Program

The Head Start Program is a program run by the government of the United States that provides assistance relating to child health, nutrition, and education to low income families in the US.

The program was launched in 1965, and Urie Bronfenbremmer was a key advisor to the US government in designing the program (Fox, 2005).

Bronfenbremmer's ideas on the ecology of human development were contrary to the popular opinion of the times that did not account for wider social and cultural influences on human development.

The program today serves over 1 million underprivileged children and their families in the US, focusing on holistic,all-round development. Numerous studies have confirmed the tangible benefits to children of the Head Start program.

A 2019 study for instance, found that children who attended Head Start programs ended with higher incomes as adults compared to those that did not (De Haan & Leuvin, 2019).

Another study reported that students that were part of the Head Start program had greater probabilities of completing school, and demonstrated higher college enrolment and college completion rates than those who were not part of the program (Bailey et. al, .2021).

2. Transforming Mental Health Practice

Bronfenbremmer's ecological model is applicable not just to children, but to adults as well.

For instance Rupert (2017) and Eriksson et. al. (2018) have reported how taking a holistic, ecological approach to tackling mental health issues among adults yields better outcomes than treating mental illnesses as if they arise in a vacuum.

3. Working With Immigrants and Their Children

Immigration has been crucial to the continued economic growth of several first world countries such as the USA, Canada. Australia, and the UK.

However, immigration also brings with it challenges for both the immigrant and the host community as the new arrivals struggle to adjust to and integrate with their new surroundings.

Paat (2013) has shown that using insights from Breonfrenbrenner's ecological systems theory helps social workers and community organizers better conceptualize the ecological context in which immigrants and their children are steeped.

It follows then, that they can design better programs and initiatives that can make the transition smoother, for both the immigrant and the host community.

Pros and Cons of Ecological Systems Theory

Pros of Ecological Systems Theory

Cons of Ecological Systems Theory

1. It's holistic rather than reductionist.

1. It is difficult to text empirically.

2. It has a wide range of applications.

2. Its terms and categoriesare sometimes vague.

3. It provides actionable inputs, making it a practical framework.

Strengths

1. Holistic Rather Than Reductionist

Prior to Bronfenbrenner's formulation, it was the norm in the scientific community to conduct scientific experiments by isolating the subject and drawing inferences from the behavior observed in setting.

The assumption was that what would be applicable to the subject in conditions of laboratory-induced isolation would also be applicable in other conditions.

Bronfenbrenner however believed that while such a reductionist/isolationist laboratory approach may work for niche fields such as molecular biology, it can not always be applied to the subject of human development.

2. Wide Application

The ecological systems theory finds application across a number of fields - from classrooms, to immigrant support services, to helping underprivileged children.

EST can even be applied to the corporate world by, for instance, helping companies innovate through the use of the ecological systems theory.

Such an approach, as outlined by Costello & Donnellan (2011) views innovation in a business setting as an ecosystem with internal and external components, rather than in isolation.

3. Provides Actionable Inputs

Unlike many other theories in the social sciences, the ecological systems theory provides credible actionable inputs that can translate to public policy action implemented for the betterment of society.

For instance, the recommendations of the theory have been used to design community support services in the US and elsewhere.

Weaknesses

1. Difficult to Test Empirically

While the application of the ecological systems theory in practice has yielded tangible positive outcomes, it is not always clear that such outcomes were, in fact, caused by the application of the ecological systems theory.

2. Vaguely Understood Systems

Several aspects of the theory such as the mesosystem and the chronosystem remain vaguely defined and understood.

For instance, the mechanism(s) through which the components of the mesosystem such as the family, school, friends, etc. interact with each other to affect a child's development are not clearly understood (Leventhal & Brooks-Gunn, 2000).

Who is Urie Bronfenbrenner?

Ecological Systems Theory was devised in its present form by the Russia-born American psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner in 1974.

Prior to Bronfenbrenner's formulation, it was widely believed that a child's social and psychological development was affected primarily by biological factors.

What little social influence was accepted on child development was attributed to interpersonal, one-to-one interactions between the child and another individual, such as a parent or a stranger.

Bronfenbrenner gave a comprehensive model of child development that explained how the larger ecosystem affects child development in a two-way interaction.
Related Theories:
References

Bailey, M.J., Sun, S., & Timpe, B. (2021). Prep school for poor kids: The long-run impacts of Head Start on human capital and economic self-sufficiency. American Economic Review. 111 (12), 3963-4001

Costello, G.J., & Donnellan, B. (2011, August) An Ecological Perspective on Innovation Management Conference: Making a World of Difference: Nation Building and the Role of Management Education

De Haan, M. & Leuvin, E. (2019). Head Start and the distribution of long-term education and labor market outcomes. Journal of Labor Economics. 38 (3), 727-765.

Eriksson, M., Ghazinour, M. & Hammarström, A. (2018) Different uses of Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory in public mental health research: What is their value for guiding public mental health policy and practice?. Social Theory and Health 16, 414-433.

Leventhal, T., & Brooks-Gunn, J. (2000). The neighborhoods they live in: the effects of neighborhood residence on child and adolescent outcomes. Psychological Bulletin, 126(2), 309.

Margalit, F. (2005) Urie Bronfenbremmer, 88, an authority on child development dies The New York Times https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/27/nyregion/urie-bronfenbrenner-88-an-authority-on-child-development-dies.html

Paat, Y. F. (2013). Working with immigrant children and their families: An application of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 23(8), 954-966.

Rupert, A. (2017) A socio-ecological framework for mental health and well-being Advances in Mental Health 15(2), 105-107.

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Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory (Pros & Cons)

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Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory states that child development is influenced by a child's interpersonal, social, and cultural settings.

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Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems: 5 Forces Impacting Our Lives

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Kat and Bianca's father is so strict and hard on them because he is an obstetrician gynecologist and wants his daughters to avoid teen pregnancy. He even makes them wear a fake pregnancy belly in attempt to steer them away from the idea of teen pregnancy or just engaging with the male gender in general. Because of her father's preventative tactics, Kat has developed a sort of disgust or disliking for boys, which makes her social status obscure to her peers and a tough pathway for potential partners.

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10 things i hate about you pregnancy belly

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At Padua High School, the kids treat Kat as though she's some type of "freak" because she chooses to do whatever she wants and doesn't let her peers' actions effect how she chooses to be. However, her sister Bianca wants to be the cool girl and hates the fact that her sister is so unique. Through the other kids at school treating Kat and Bianca different, it causes the bond between the two sisters to suffer and Bianca essentially despises Kat.

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Kat is looked at as weird or unapproachable because she doesn't follow the typical societal standards that everyone else at her school does. The societal "rules" learned through platforms such as social media about dating and female behavior is essentially what causes Kat's peers to look at her so differently.

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Kat is seen as the unpopular sister because she doesn't conform to the feminine expectations that the world has set. However, Bianca is seen as the "pretty sister" who is more desirable, attractive, and popular due to societal beauty standards.

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It is never clearly stated what happened to Kat and Bianca's mother in the film, but they do mention that she "abandoned them." This unexpected change significantly effects the girls' development as they're raised by an overprotective father with no real mother figure to look up to or learn from.

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10 Things I Hate About You -Official Trailer #1 (1999) Heath Ledger Movie

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      How Bronfenbrenner                  Would Evaluate 

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      How Bronfenbrenner                  Would Evaluate 

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Bronfenbrenner would most likely see Kat Stratford as a child who has been developed mainly through her surrounding environment and different life circumstances. She is indeed not the cold hearted person that her peers make her up to be, but instead displays a hard shell that her experiences in her adolescence has caused her to build.

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        Kat & Bianca's Mother             Abandoning Them

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        Kat & Bianca's Mother             Abandoning Them

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Like mentioned previously, we never truly get a real backstory on what happened to Kat and Bianca's mom, as they only say she abandoned them. Wherever she is, her absence and lack of female guidance definitely had some effect on both the girls. Adolescence is a tough time for a teenage girl: her body is changing, she has 100 emotions a day, etc. Kat not having her mother around essentially just adds to this cold attitude she has developed as she doesn't really have a mother figure to give her guidance on these big feelings she's experiencing.

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      Kat's Relationship With                   Joey Donner

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      Kat's Relationship With                   Joey Donner

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Kat reveals to Bianca that in the past she had a relationship with Joey Donner, in which she felt pressured to have intercourse with him because that's what everyone else was doing. After having sex with him, she instantly regretted it and Joey dumped her. It was that day that Kat vowed to never do anything just because everyone else was doing it ever again.

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Before meeting Patrick, Kat is cold hearted and closed off. She doesn't care what anyone thinks of her and is her own independent queen. However, after she develops feelings for Patrick, she becomes more appealing and less harsh. She still doesn't care what people have to say, but she's found someone with whom she can be vulnerable and show those hidden feelings with.

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Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Development theory does a great job when giving Kat Stratford a character analysis. The whole film is essentially about how Kat's environments and the people she's surrounded by made her this hard shelled, cruel person that everyone despised. However, with the introduction of Patrick Verona, she becomes more open and accepting of love. This is a great representation of how people's different ideologies and treatment towards you genuinely effects one's development.

The theory is pretty capable of explaining all the experiences of Kat. In fact, this theory seems to be a perfect "fit" when discussing Kat's psycho-developmental assessment. From her mother missing, to her relationship trauma with Joey Donner, to her renewed relationship with Patrick, each experience falls under one of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems to really explain how Kat is the product of her environment.

This theory was valid to use when it comes to Kat's feminist perspective. Kat vowed to go against what everyone else thought, and so her sticking up for women's rights in her english class was very on brand. Although she didn't get her feministic views directly from her environment, their opposition indirectly caused her to favor those opinions, essentially still going with Bronfenbrenner's theory.

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In Kat's english class, Mr. Morgan has them reading "The Sun Also Rises" in which one girl raises her hand to say how romantic a character is, and Kat responds with negative characteristics of the character and how low down, dirty men are not worth women's time. Kat gets irritated and advocates for feminism, in which she gets sent to the principle's office. Kat's passion for feminism essentially emphasizes her resilience and how she isn't afraid to voice her opinion.

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A concept related to Bronfenbrenner's theory that's discussed in chapter 10 of the book is the concept of diversity. The book talks about sexual orientation, education, socioeconomic status, and more in regards to diversity. The idea of diversity can coincide with Bronfenbrenner's theory with the idea that both have to do with environmental factors. Diversity within an environment essentially leads to diversity within the organisms residing there, which can directly relate to Bronfenbrenner's theory of environmental factors affecting people's developments.

Source: My Psychology by Andrew Pomerantz (Chapter 10)

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Urie Bronfenbrenner's Ecological System Development theory perfectly aligns with the story told in the film 10 Things I Hate About You. Closely examining Kat's development from the girl she was to the young lady she becomes by the end of the film because of her surrounding peers and environment directly correlates with Bronfenbrenner's theory.