Developmental Psychology

Achieve Test Prep: Developmental Psychology

Using an Ecological Approach:

The diagram above is the conventional pictorial representation of how the Ecological Model works. This model was first proposed by Urie Bronfenbrenner . The diagram is made of concentric circles surrounding the individual person, located in the middle. The circles closest to the individual have the most influence on them, while those farther away have less of an influence. The microsystem is the first layer surrounding the individual and is comprised of the factors which directly influence an individual. Such influencing factors can be: family, school, or peers. The individual systems are connected by mesosystems. These systems do not contain influences. The ecosystem contains the distant entities which have less of an effect on the individual, such as neighbors, media, and family friends. The outer layer is the macrosystem , which is comprised of the broad ideas of the overall culture in which people live and thrive. Affecting each

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