"Urie Brofenbrenner’s ecological systems theory views development as the product of transactions between an ever-changing person and an ever-changing environment (Korsomo, 2014)."
Microsystem
"The innermost environmental layer, or microsystem, refers to the activities and interactions that occur in the person’s immediate surroundings (Korsomo. 2014)"
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My family has played a huge role in shaping my experience. The smallest my personal systems is my nuclear family, which is just me and my mom. Since it's just the two of us, our relationship has developed into more of a partnership, rather than the typical parent-child dynamic. Our relationship has had a profound impact on my communication style and the way that I view the world. My mom always instilled the importance of treating everyone with kindness, and helping others in their time of need. Since I do not have a huge circle of friends, my mom has often given me the support I needed when I had no one else. My extended family is also very important to me. We are all very close and live within thirty minutes of each other in my home town. I have learned something different from each member of my family. My two cousins are like my sisters and I have always looked up to them. They have played a big part in my decision to go to college and have always provided knowledge when it came to becoming an adult, since they are always one step ahead of me in their personal development.
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Mesosystem
"The mesosystem is the second layer, and refers to the interconnections among individual’s immediate settings or microsystems (Korsomo, 2014)."
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There are several elements of my life that make up my mesosystem. One that is very relevant to me is the ongoing battle I have between school and work. I value both environments very much, so it can be difficult to sometimes decide which part of my life I should pay more attention too. Even though I do not work on the same days that I have school, I still find it difficult to come home from a long day at work and get all of my assignments done for the next day. Other parts of my life also present this same dilemma. Even though my primary friend circle comes from my school environment, I still find it very difficult to balance having a fulfilling social life and my work and school responsibilities. Working also severely limits the amount of time I spend with my family since I work even during school breaks, which has been a huge challenge for me.
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exosystem
"The exosystem, or third environmental layer, consists of contexts that children and adolescents are not a part of but which may influence their development (Korsomo, 2014)."
One distinct part of my exosystem that has influenced me is my moms job. She is a real estate agent, so our family was deeply effected by the 2007 recession. This added extra stress to my home life at the time and was a factor in my decision making when it came to continuing my education after high school. One positive way that my mom's work place impacted me is she was able to control her own hours and do a lot of work from home. This meant that she was around often and we were able to form a very strong relationship. Another system that my mom was a part of that influenced me was community service, particularly with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). She teaches a class on advocating for loved ones with mental illness. Her activity in that community gave me a lot of knowledge about mental illness and was my gateway to choosing to serve others in need as my career.
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