Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory proposes that development is affected by the interaction between different levels in the individual’s surrounding environment. These include immediate settings such as their family to broader levels such us cultural norms and values ( Eriksson et al., 2018) . Therefore, development is not only viewed from the immediate environment but also interactions occurring in the large environments. An individual’s environment is divided into the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem ( Eriksson et al., 2018) . The microsystem, which includes the family, is the most influential while the chronosystem having the least influence.
The Cho et al. (2012) article identifies various variables that influence stalking. These variables are stated in levels ranging from those in the individual to those in their larger environment. The individual-level factors can be likened to microsystem in the ecological theory. The similarity is that these two factors, closest to the individual, have the highest level of influence in the preferred behavior. The interpersonal-level factors are similar to the mesosystem in the ecological theory. The mesosystem includes interactions between the child’s microsystems including their peers from school and their siblings, parents and teachers and much more. Interpersonal level factors involve the interactions between the victim and the perpetrator as explained in the article. Therefore, both interactions are in the immediate environment of the individual and not manifested at the personal level. The exosystem involves areas of the individual’s environment where he or she is not involved but is still affected by them. Similar to the social level factors, the victim and perpetrator may not be directly involved in these issues but they are affected by them. For instance, social norms could make one engage in stalking while making another the victim. The macrosystem involves the influence of culture on an individual’s behavior. Similarly, the cultural-level factors describe how aspects of culture including gender-socialization would lead to stalking.
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My topic focuses on working with male adolescents in the community suffering from mental health issues such as depression and adjustment disorder. It recognizes an issue present in the individual’s lives and will touch on how the problem comes about. Similar to how Cho et al., (2012) identify stalking and how it is impacted by different factors in society, mental health issues are also impacted differently when considering the various environmental levels recognized in the ecological theory. When conceptualizing the topic, the ecological theory will explain how each level in the adolescent’s environment leads to the development of mental health issues.
When considering the microsystem, a factor like the family possesses immense power in the development of mental health issues in male adolescents ( Atilola, 2014) . As a level with significant impact in the development of the individual, it holds similar power when considering mental health issues. For instance, issues in the family like divorce, addiction or substance abuse in parents have a high likelihood of leading to mental health issues in the adolescents. The mesosystem too contributes to the development of mental health issues. The system involves interactions between microsystems in the individual’s environment ( Atilola, 2014) . When the family and the individual’s peers do not agree, he may be stressed and eventually depressed especially when the family does not approve of the friends he chooses; considering that friends are a critical part of an adolescent’s development.
The exosystem includes external environments without the individual’s involvement but which have direct impact on the person ( Atilola, 2014) . For instance, when a mass shooting occurs at the adolescent’s school, it is likely that he may develop an adjustment disorder as a reaction to the immense change that occurs without his involvement. The macrosystem includes cultural elements that could impact the individual in different ways ( Zhang, 2018) . One cultural aspect that could result in mental health issues is the ethnicity of the adolescent. He would be vulnerable to issues like discrimination if he is part of an ethnic minority and this increases the risk for mental health issues. The chronosystem includes major changes that occur in the individual’s life ( Zhang, 2018) . A big and negative change could contribute to the development of mental health issues like depression. One such change is the death of a best friend. This always has immense impact on the individual to the extent that he develops depression.
Overall, the ecological theory helps elaborate on various issues in society and further contributes to developing a connection between these issues, the individual and the different levels of interaction. The five levels in the theory merge well with varied aspects of my topic and help identify how various elements in different levels of the adolescent’s life could result in the development of mental health issues.
References
Atilola, O. (2014). Child mental-health policy development in sub-Saharan Africa: broadening the perspectives using Bronfenbrenner's ecological model. Health Promotion International , 32 (2), 380-391. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/dau065
Cho, H., Hong, J., & Logan, T. (2012). An Ecological Understanding of the Risk Factors Associated With Stalking Behavior. Affilia , 27 (4), 381-390. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886109912464474
Eriksson, M., Ghazinour, M., & Hammarström, A. (2018). Different uses of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory in public mental health research: what is their value for guiding public mental health policy and practice?. Social Theory & Health , 16 (4), 414-433. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41285-018-0065-6
Zhang, Y. (2018). Using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Approach to Understand Academic Advising with International Community College Students. Journal Of International Students , 8 (4). https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v8i4.230
