Influences in My Life

Psychologists call ideas about how people think, feel, or behave "theories" only if they are supported by good research. According to (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) "Ecological theory proposes that human development is best explained in terms of the interaction between individuals and the environments in which they live or have lived. Urie said there is a totalof five contexts that influence development. They may be thought of as concentric rings, like an archery target, with the larger rings influencing all smaller rings within them" (p.8).
The microsystem in which consists of primarily our daily environment:. The mesosystem which refers to the connection of all the microsystems that are influencing a child. The exosystem consists of the larger forces like social programs, the economy, funding for schools, and availability of legal aid.
The macrosystem is the cultural context, the beliefs and values of the larger society. The chronosystem reflects potential changes by including environmental events and historical circumstances that influence development.
These systems not only interact but also change over time.

The First Ring that has influenced my development is the Mesosystem. Within my lifetime it has definatley turned out to have its ups and downs and quite an interesting journeyy for me. It involves family, school and church. My parents were married at a very young age and from completely different religious backgrounds. My Mother born and raised a very strict catholic and my Father of the Baptist religion . The Church Schools I attended were sometimes very challenging and others very pleassant Sometimes. I was also involved in public schools were I feel was the most influencial in my development when I started to experience trouble being involved withe wrong crowd., and sometimes, in private schools. So the Mesosystem has definitely helped decide who I am today. I feel that I have seen it all. So the saying goes. I also consider myself to be a well rounded person with the ability to adjust to any situation. My parents sending me to attend all the different schools and religious backgrounds instilled in me all of the core values that I have today as an adult and helps me to make the decisions today and today I am sure to show my children the many different aspects of religion scool and family.

The second ring I have also found, as in the example of the Exosystem, that things can take a strange turn. The Exosystem describes funding, legal aid, and after school programs. These things may influence a situation that gives a child a chance that they wouldn’t have had. I have found, in my personal studies, children involved in some kind of extracurricular activities are far less likely to engage in things such as drugs, alcohol, and criminal behavior. It provides a sense of belonging. My parents struggled to make ends meet and did not havw the financial freedom to be able to pay for my college. Although they always wanted this for me it steered me away from going to college and pwrsued a family life for many years.
I would most deinately lean more toward the nature (our environment) vs. nurture (our Genetic make-up) that has had most influence in my development in life. I feel that My environment was always constantly changing and with me having to adapt. With my nurture it was always the same constant. Our environment that we grow up in from our neighborhoods, freinds, family and social groups are all of the influences that make up who I am today .

References

Witt, G.A., & Mossler, R. A. (2010). Adult development and life assessment. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/books/2

References: Witt, G.A., & Mossler, R. A. (2010). Adult development and life assessment. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/books/2