Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory is one of the most widely accepted explanations of the influence of the social environment on people's development. This hypothesis holds that the environment in which we grow up affects all plans of our life. Thus, our way of thinking, the emotions we feel or our tastes and preferences would be determined by various social factors.
Urie Bronfenbrenner, creator of this theory, observed that the children's way of being changed according to the context in which they grew up. Therefore, he decided to study what were the elements that most affected child development in this regard. The psychologist understood the environment as a set of systems that related to each other. He initially identified four of them, although in later versions a fifth was included.
The five systems are related to each other. Thus, the influence of one of them on the child's development depends on his relationship with the others. In addition, they are organized from those closest to the child, to the most distant from the child.
On the other hand, a change of environment can influence the person. Thus, it is normal for the way of being of someone who moves to another culture to change. The same can happen when someone changes their social role within one of the systems. From the closest to the person to the most distant, the five systems of Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory are as follows:
Microsystem
Mesosystem
Exosystem
Macrosystem
Chronosystem