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  • Ernest Haeckel proposed the need for science to study organisms in their environment in 1873
  • Human ecology theory concentrates on the interaction and interdependence of humans as biological and social entities
  • This theory acknowledges the interrelatedness among components of human systems
  • Individuals and families need to be examined with their environments because they influence each other
  • Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory has been used often to study the development and usefulness of various programs and interventions
  • Duerden and Witt used this model to explain how practitioners could ensure their programs were developmentally appropritate and effective by looking at each level of the system and providing suggestions for enhancement.
  • Provide key components of programs for youth
  • Martin reviewed the Early Start program in Ireland.

(Continued)

Microsystem and Environmental Interactions

  • Adolescent Fatherhood Exists
  • Ecological perspective of this suggests that individual variables, such as delinquency and dating at an early age, interact with family variables, such as maternal education
  • The interaction of micro systems was used to explain risk behaviors and increased probability of adolescent fathering.

Terms & Concepts

  • Woman Who Never Marry
  • Our cultural norm is that of courtship and marriage as a natural part of life, this may not be reality for some woman.
  • A woman may have had a parent die before they were 25 years old.
  • Other family members may not have gotten married and that provides a positive role model for this behavior.
  • Participants of this study were found to be happier with their lives and had higher levels of self-esteem.

Environment- An environment “consists of the totality of the physical, biological, social, economic, political, aesthetic, and structural surroundings for human beings and the context for offers essential elements for the maintenance of the life. There are three types of environments with which humans interact. The natural physical-biological environment includes elements of nature like animals, climate, soil plants, air, minerals, water and sources of food and energy. The human-built environment represents the ways in which humans have altered or transformed the natural physical biological environment to survive or sustain themselves. The socio-cultural environment includes other human beings that make up a particular class, abstract cultural constructions, and social and economic institutions.

Primary Terms and Concepts

Common Areas of Research and Application

Human Ecosystem- Is an organism that operates as a unit in interaction with its environment. Human Ecosystems can also be analyzed at the community, societal, or global levels, more specifically a particular family system in interaction with its environment.

Ecological Systems Theory

Terms & Concepts

Ontogenetic Development- Change generated from within the organism itself is often precipitated by ontogenetic development. It represents the biologically inclined or genetic part of development or aging.

Program Development/Intervention

Adaptation- As the core concept of ecological theory, adaptation represents the ways in which human organisms modify their systems to accommodate to and/or alter their environments to obtain particular outcomes.

  • Bronfenbrenner's theory evolved over the years as he sought to modify, expand and enhance it.
  • Much of the work done uses the more traditional form of his theory, this chapter reviews articles focused on parts of the theory then on areas that utilize the entire systems of context and we close with a few articles that apply the PPCT model.

Niche- Exists within human ecosystems. Within niches are reiterative patterns of stable sets of activities. These actions provide functions for those within a niche, so that they can adapt to the environment.

Terms & Concepts

Terms and Concepts

Needs- Are the requirements essential for survival adaption. Allardt (1976) identified three types of needs: the need for having, the need for relating, and the need for being.

Decision-making- Is a key aspect of family functioning. Fundamental decision-making processes include (1) recognizing that a decision is needed, (2) identifying, comparing, and evaluating alternatives, and (3) choosing an acceptable alternative.

Values- Are human appraisals of what is desirable, worthwhile, and proper. Values articular what is beautiful, what is useful, what is profitable, what is correct and decent behavior, and what is beyond human life and understanding (spiritual values).

Human Development- Is the process that maturing persons undergo as they perceive differentiate themselves from, and behave to relation to their environment to increasingly complex ways.

Management- Entails all of the processes surrounding the acquisition, distribution, and utilization of resources essential for attaining human goals. Families make decisions about which goals are set, how plans are implemented, and how evaluative feedback is utilized in future management decisions.

Basic Assumptions

Multidimensional Constructs

1. Human Beings and groups are a product of both genetics and environment

Process-Person-Context-

Time (PPCT) Model

2. Humans are dependent upon their environment to meet their biological needs.

-Brofenbrenner created a framework to distinguish/categorize factors that influence human development.

3. As social beings, humans are dependent on others.

-Framework begins with PPCT Model.

Process:

4. Human beings are finite, such that time is both a limitation and a resource.

The interactions between an individual and the environment

  • This theory is useful in analyzing programs because of its ability to look at a wide varitety of systems influences and it ability to benefit the exploration of other complex problems.
  • An example of this would be the adoption of Special Needs children and the role of physical appearance in Latino's adolescent's ethnic identity
  • Schweiger and O'Brien examined the interaction of Bronfenbrenner's theory as they pertain to the adoption of Special Needs children and also providing services both before and after adoption takes place.

Person:

5. Humans organize their interactions within their spacial environments.

The individual and their biological characteristics

Context & Time:

6. Human behavior can be comprehended on at least two levels: individual and population.

Refers to five "systems"

History Continued

PPCT Model (Continued)

Chapter 6:

-Not frequently used in the field

-Two studies that recently utilized this version to study diverse topics

1. Berzin (2006) used it to assess the role of poverty on child outcomes

-Explains that not only the poverty itself affects children, but also the process by which poverty occurs

  • Ellen Richards proposed the science in environment with emphasis on home and family
  • Beatrice Paolucci developed an ecological model for family decision making
  • Urie Bronfenbrenner outlined four basic systems that make up the ecological environment:

1)Microsystem-intermediate environment of developing person

2)Mesosystem-recongnizes the links between two or more microsystems

3)Exosystem-the settings not directly experienced by the child but which affect their development less directly

4)Macrosystem- encompasses all other systems

-Use this as a backdrop to study how parental reliance on welfare during childhood impacts their transition into adulthood

2. Holt (2007) used same idea of parental influence, but in a larger context- effects of parental behavior on youth's participation in sports

-Not only parent's involvement that matters, but the involvement of other areas

-Very different topics, but both use same theoretical grounding- because of its ability to adress importance of context

Human Ecological Theory

Violence and Abuse

- An ecological model can be used to better understand the role of violence and abuse among different cultural environments.

- Hong, Lee, Park, and Faller (2011)

Critique

History

- Conducted their study in Korea

- Studied why children were being mistreated

The use of the ecological theory is prominent in the field of family science, it is evident in the extensive diversity of research topics just covered in this chapter. Though this theory is widely used does not mean it does not have shortcomings.

- Used an ecological model because there was limited research already conducted on the contextual variables across the levels of the environment

  • This is a broad and inclusive theory in human development
  • The use of abstract, terms, concepts and primary assumptions leads to the possibility of confusion and repetition.
  • This theory can be difficult to test using traditional research methods.
  • This theory has gone through so much modification and development that it is not often evident at first glance within which version of his theory is being used in any research that states it is based on the ecological theory.

Despite these issues this is a theory that is still being used in the field, especially in the area of child development.

Human Ecological Theory

By: Cory, Casey, Joleen & Jessica

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