Urie Bronfenbrenner ecological system model states that individuals develop within a complex system of relationships. He explains how immediate and surrounding environments affect the way children grow and develop. These systems include the microsystem, the mesosystem, and the macrosystem. Firstly, the microsystem is the system which includes the immediate surroundings that a child interacts with on a regular and intimate basis such as people and things. The mesosystem is the slightly larger environment and people the child interacts with regularly but on less intimate basis, such as school, friends, teachers, neighborhood, etc. Finally, the macrosystem is the larger world and greater society and culture that influence the child such as movies, music, technology, political events, etc.
My microsystem consists of many different relationships, but I would say the main and most important one is my family – mom and dad, since they are the people that are constantly with me throughout my life and who I interact with the most. They have taught me various skills and beliefs in life that I have used and continue to use throughout my life. It is because of my mom and dad that I have developed to be the person I am today – my specific characteristics, values, and attitudes. In addition to my mom and dad, my microsystem also includes my older brother, who I look up to and consider one of my best friends. Even though he and I would sometimes have our fights, I would be a completely different person if it weren’t for the love and support that he gives me every day. Lastly, my microsystem also includes my aunt – my mom’s sister. Even though she passed away a few years ago due to cancer, I always look back and remember the wonderful person she used to be and each and every day I try to be more like her. She was like a second mother to me and she taught me so much about life indirectly. She was the kindest person I have ever known which only drives me to be more like her. For example, I remember how my aunt would always want to buy me things and give me spending money, while my mom would yell and tell her not to spoil me like that. With that being said, these are all examples of microsystems in my life. I am affected by each of these interactions in some way each day and they are a part of my daily life.
Secondly, the mesosystem consists of the larger environment the child interacts with on a regular basis but less intimate such as school. I believe that my microsystem and my mesosystem are in direct interaction because my parents were of great influence of my school performance by keeping in touch with all my teachers. For example, my parents always took a very active role in my school such as attending the parent-teacher conferences. It showed me that they cared about my school and I believe this helped with my overall growth. Therefore, if I did poorly in school, I would be grounded or punished which taught me how to be more productive, it taught be about consequences, and it taught me to take school more seriously so that I would not be grounded. Another mesosystem in my life was my afterschool activity. I always loved dancing, so my parents had signed me up for dance lessons and they made sure they attended all of my rehearsals and my competitions. Overall this taught me about positive support and it again helped with my overall growth. Both school and my dance classes are a part of my mesosystem but I also strongly consider that they interact and work together with my microsystem.
Finally, the macrosystem includes the larger world - society and culture, which had an influence on my childhood such as technology, culture, movies, etc. I believe that technology had a great influence over my overall growth because my family is very open to new technology. As