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Ch02 PPT

This chapter discusses ecological and systems theories, which view human behavior as influenced by complex interactions within multiple environments or systems. Ludwig von Bertalanffy first proposed systems theory to understand biology as interrelated parts maintaining homeostasis. Urie Bronfenbrenner later applied ecological theory to child development, identifying micro, meso, exo, macro and chronosystems. Ecological systems theory underpins the person-in-environment perspective and informs social work practice principles including engagement, assessment and intervention across system levels.

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Mdeeq Abdullahi
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304 views14 pages

Ch02 PPT

This chapter discusses ecological and systems theories, which view human behavior as influenced by complex interactions within multiple environments or systems. Ludwig von Bertalanffy first proposed systems theory to understand biology as interrelated parts maintaining homeostasis. Urie Bronfenbrenner later applied ecological theory to child development, identifying micro, meso, exo, macro and chronosystems. Ecological systems theory underpins the person-in-environment perspective and informs social work practice principles including engagement, assessment and intervention across system levels.

Uploaded by

Mdeeq Abdullahi
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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CHAPTER 2

ECOLOGICAL AND SYSTEMS THEORIES


A HISTORICAL DISCUSSION OF ECOLOGICAL AND
SYSTEMS THEORIES
• THE IDEAS ASSOCIATED WITH SYSTEMS THEORY WERE FIRST
DISCUSSED BY LUDWIG VON BERTALANFFY AS A WAY OF
UNDERSTANDING BIOLOGY AS AN ORGANIZED SYSTEM OF
INTERRELATED PARTS OF A WHOLE.
• MORE COMPLEX VIEW OF BIOLOGY THAT MOVED AWAY FROM JUST
LINEAR EFFECTS
• VON BERTALANFFY SUGGESTED A MORE COMPLEX VIEW OF BIOLOGY,
DESCRIBING RECIPROCAL TRANSACTIONS AS A BETTER EXPLANATION
FOR HOW ONE ELEMENT OF A SYSTEM MAY AFFECT ANOTHER.
• SYSTEMS THEORY BEGAN TO OFFER BROAD APPLICATION
TOFIELDS SUCH AS ASTRONOMY, PHYSICS, AND
TECHNOLOGY.
• THE TENETS OF SYSTEMS THEORY ALSO OFFERED
IMPLICATIONS TO DISCIPLINES WITHIN THE SOCIAL
SCIENCES, BECAUSE UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL SYSTEMS
SUCH AS FAMILIES, COMMUNITIES, AND ORGANIZATIONS AS
ENTITIES THAT WERE MAINTAINED BY INTERRELATED PARTS
HELPED IN DESCRIBING HOW THESE SYSTEMS FUNCTIONED.
ECOLOGICAL THEORY
• ECOLOGICAL THEORY FOCUSES ON RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN
ORGANISMS AND THEIR ENVIRONMENTS
• ALTHOUGH ECOLOGICAL AND SYSTEMS THEORIES WERE DEVELOPED AS SEPARATE
FRAMEWORKS, THEY ARE OFTEN INTEGRATED AND SOMETIMES CALLED
ECOSYSTEMS THEORY OR ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS THEORY BECAUSE OF THE
SIMILARITIES IN THEIR UNDERLYING EXPLANATIONS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR.
• ECOSYSTEMS INCLUDE THE SUM OF A SET OF DIVERSE ORGANISMS AND NONLIVING
ENVIRONMENTAL ASPECTS THAT IMPACT AND ARE IMPACTED BY ONE ANOTHER
• ECOLOGY THEORY SUGGESTS THAT HUMAN BEINGS ARE ORGANISMS WHO
MAINTAIN HELPFUL OR UNHELPFUL TRANSACTIONS WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENTS
• BRONFENBRENNER DISCUSSED ECOLOGICAL THEORY FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF
CHILD DEVELOPMENT BY IDENTIFYING THE MICRO, MESO, EXO, MACRO, AND
CHRONO SYSTEMS
PERSON-IN-ENVIRONMENT

• A PERSPECTIVE INFORMED BY BOTH ECOLOGICAL AND SYSTEMS THEORIES


• PERSON-IN-ENVIRONMENT IS A BROAD PERSPECTIVE THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH
SOCIAL WORK’S MISSION AS DEFINED BY NASW (2008)
ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS THEORY: PRACTICE
PRINCIPLES FOR SOCIAL WORK

• PRINCIPLE 1: A SYSTEM CONSISTS OF INTERRELATED AND INTERDEPENDENT PARTS


• PRINCIPLE 2: A SYSTEM IS DEFINED BY ITS BOUNDARIES AND RULES
• PRINCIPLE 3: SYSTEMS TYPICALLY DEMONSTRATE PREDICTABLE PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR
• PRINCIPLE 4: A SYSTEM IS MORE THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS
• PRINCIPLE 5: CHANGING ONE PART OF A SYSTEM WILL IMPACT THE OTHER PARTS OF THE
SYSTEM AS WELL AS THE SYSTEM AS A WHOLE
• PRINCIPLE 6: POSITIVE GROWTH AND ADAPTATION OCCUR WHEN THERE IS A GOODNESS
OF FIT WITH THE ENVIRONMENT
ECOLOGICAL AND SYSTEMS THEORIES:
KEY CONCEPTS

• A SYSTEM IS A SET OF COMPONENTS THAT ARE RELATED TO ONE ANOTHER, OFTEN TO


ACCOMPLISH A COMMON PURPOSE
• BOUNDARIES ARE THE REAL OR SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED BARRIERS THAT SEPARATE A
SYSTEM FROM ITS ENVIRONMENT
• RECIPROCAL TRANSACTIONS ARE THE INTERACTIONS THAT OCCUR BETWEEN A
PERSON AND HIS OR HER ENVIRONMENT OR BETWEEN TWO SYSTEMS
• THE FEEDBACK LOOP DESCRIBES THE PROCESS BY WHICH SYSTEMS RECEIVE
INFORMATION NEEDED TO MAKE NEEDED ADJUSTMENTS
• HOMEOSTASIS REFERS TO A SYSTEM’S DESIRE TO RESIST CHANGE AND PRESERVE THE
STATUS QUO.
ECOLOGICAL AND SYSTEMS THEORIES:
KEY CONCEPTS, CONTINUED

• ECOLOGICAL THEORY SUGGESTS SYSTEMS HAVE A TENDENCY TO PROTECT AND


GROW TO ACCOMPLISH A GOAL, ALSO KNOWN AS ADAPTATION.
• THE MICROSYSTEM REFERS TO THE SYSTEMS THAT ARE CLOSEST IN PROXIMITY
TO THE CLIENT SYSTEM
• THE MESOSYTEM ACCORDING TO BRONFENBRENNER (1979) REFERS TO THE
RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SYSTEMS IN THE MICROSYSTEM.
• BRONFENBRENNER (1979) DEFINES THE EXOSYSTEM AS WHEN THE INTERACTION
BETWEEN TWO SYSTEMS EXERTS AN INDIRECT INFLUENCE ON ANOTHER
ECOLOGICAL AND SYSTEMS THEORIES:
KEY CONCEPTS, CONTINUED

• THE MACROSYSTEM REFERS TO THE LARGER SYSTEMS THAT INFLUENCE A


CLIENT’S LIFE
• BRONFENBRENNER (1979) REFERS TO THE CHRONOSYSTEM AS THE EVENTS
THAT IMPACT THE CLIENT SYSTEM.
APPLICATION OF ECOLOGICAL AND SYSTEMS
THEORIES WITHIN SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE

• ENGAGEMENT ACCORDING TO ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS THEORY INVOLVES


DEVELOPING PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE CLIENT AND WITH
IMPORTANT SYSTEMS IMPACTING THAT CLIENT
• ASSESSMENT ACCORDING TO ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS THEORY INVOLVES
UNDERSTANDING A CLIENT’S “GOODNESS OF FIT” WITH HIS OR HER
ENVIRONMENT BY COMPLETING AN ECOMAP, A PICTORIAL DESCRIPTION OF THE
CLIENT’S RECIPROCAL TRANSACTIONS WITH HIS OR HER ENVIRONMENT
APPLICATION OF ECOLOGICAL AND SYSTEMS
THEORIES WITHIN SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE,
CONTINUED
• GOAL SETTING INVOLVES SETTING GOALS THAT WOULD IMPROVE A CLIENT’S
GOODNESS OF FIT AND MIGHT INVOLVE CHANGE IN THE CLIENT AND/OR GOALS
TO CHANGE SYSTEMS IMPACTING THE CLIENT
• INTERVENTION INVOLVES ANY ACTIVITY THAT SEEKS TO IMPROVE THE
RECIPROCAL INTERACTIONS BETWEEN A CLIENT AND HIS OR HER
ENVIRONMENT
APPLICATION OF ECOLOGICAL AND SYSTEMS
THEORIES WITHIN SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE,
CONTINUED
• INTERVENTION CAN OCCUR ON THE MICRO, MEZZO, OR MACRO LEVELS OF
PRACTICE, MEANING SOMETIMES CHANGES HAPPENS WITH THE CLIENT AND
SOMETIMES CHANGE HAPPENS IN THE SYSTEMS IMPACTING THAT CLIENT
• EVALUATION INVOLVES DETERMINING THE DEGREE TO WHICH THE
INTERVENTIONS HELPED THE CLIENT TO ACCOMPLISH THE GOALS
CASE EXAMPLE DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

• PROBATION OFFICER TAKES A LOT OF TIME. WHEN USING AN ECOLOGICAL


SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE, WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT FOR A SOCIAL WORKER TO
MEET WITH MULTIPLE PEOPLE INVOLVED IN A CASE?
• WHEN CONDUCTING AN ASSESSMENT ACCORDING TO AN ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS
PERSPECTIVE, A SOCIAL WORKER MUST IDENTIFY THE MICRO, MEZZO, AND
MACRO SYSTEMS PRESENT IN THE ENVIRONMENT OF CLIENT SYSTEM. WHAT
ARE THE SYSTEMS IMPACTING AND BEING IMPACTED BY ROBERTO (RECIPROCAL
INTERACTION)?
STRENGTHS AND LIMITATIONS OF
ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS THEORY

• STRENGTHS
• BROAD PERSPECTIVE OFFERS IMPLICATIONS FOR ALL SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE
• PROVIDES THE FOUNDATION TO SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE
• PUSHES SOCIAL WORKERS TO LOOK AT THE NEED TO ADVOCATE CHANGES TO SOCIAL
STRUCTURES

• LIMITATIONS
• DIFFICULT TO MEASURE
• BECAUSE IT IS BROAD, OFFERS LESS SPECIFIC DIRECTION TO SOCIAL WORKERS

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