Comparing Bronfenbrenner And James Marcia's Psychosocial Theory

In order to excel in effective teaching practices one must gain the correct knowledge and understanding of the various processes involved in human development, basically a individuals journey of growth physically, emotionally, mentally, socially and morally across the lifespan (Duchesne, McMaugh, Bochner, & Krause, 2013). In relation to Urie Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological model and James Marcia’s psychosocial theory, this essay will analyse two of my personal learning experiences with an in-debt focus on key concepts relating to each theorist.
Growing up I dealt with my parents’ divorce, a violent custody battle, strict Samoan Catholic beliefs and unstable housing. I was already apprehensive about my surroundings that during my first years
Bronfenbrenner describes development as a product of nature and nurture, outlining four key elements that affect human development; person, process, context and time. With these four elements interacting to influence the development and an acknowledgement of the connections between distinct characteristics and certain group settings, Bronfenbrenner produced a series of environmental systems. Divided into five layers these nested circles each represents features which can influence development. The systems are as followed: The microsystem, the inner layer and immediate environment in which a person is operating; The mesosystem, two settings interacting, such as the connection between home and work; The exosystem, an environment in which an individual is not directly involved, but is nonetheless still affected; The macrosystem, societal and cultural practices; and the chronosystem, the outer layer responsible for changes and transitions over time. (Duchesne, et al.,
The concept of identity achievement was present in terms of me exploring several career choices and life pathways. From an enthusiastic retail manager to beauty therapist and hairdresser, my life was progressing at a steady pace, but an unexpected surprise would eventually change that course. I was 18, alone with a newborn baby boy, feeling excited and a little overwhelmed, but I got on with things and adjusted to motherhood quite well. Only, the next few years would test every notion of my being. While enduring the disapproving sneers from my proud Samoan catholic family members who believed I should’ve been married first, I was struggling with identity foreclosure, the expectation to live up to their ambitious standards of an innocent Samoan girl. Marcia’s idea of identity diffusion links to my continuous battle with anxiety and depression, with no career ambitions my role in life was exclusively being a mother. I was frustrated and confused because even though I loved my son and was proud to be his mother, I’d lost my self-worth and sense of belonging. Unconsciously through the moratorium process, I completely stopped and took the time to evaluate my next move. It’s now clear how this break helped influenced my return to study and through Auckland University’s New Start program I corresponded with the concept of life at university and gained the appropriate knowledge about academic