1. a.A child’s development is known to be affected by the social relationships and the environment around. Theoretical frameworks help in understanding this key association in a suitable manner. Ecological systems model is a significant approach toward answering the question of how the social environment and ecology influence a child’s development. The present essay describes a child’s ecology as proposed by Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System Model.
Urie Bronfenbrenner, a famous American psychologist, formulated the Ecological system model for explaining how the inherent qualities of a child and the environment engage in interaction for influencing the growth and development of the child. The model organizes the development of a child into five distinct levels of external influences; microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. By studying these systems, one can understand the diversity of influences that in association with each other has a major impact on the development of the child (Vélez-Agosto et al., 2017). Microsystem refers to the most immediate and smallest environment presented to a child. It comprises of family, school, neighborhood, religious institutions and peers. Interactions within the microsystem involve personal relationships with classmates, caregivers, teachers and family members. Supportive and nurturing relationships and interactions lead to the healthy development of a child. The mesosystem defines the interaction between different microsystems within which the development of a child is promoted. In essence, it is a system of microsystems and involves interactions between teachers and family for example. A child’s development is positively influenced through coherence and harmony if the parents are actively involved in the relationship of a child with his peers (Sallis et al., 2015).
The exosystems concern the associations existing between multiple settings in which a child does not have an active role. For example, a child’s experience might be influenced by the experiences of parents at the workplace. If both the parents are working for long hours and unable to spend quality time with the child, the development might be influenced in an undesired manner. Macrosystem clearly articulates the culture in which a child is being brought up. This includes socioeconomic status, ethnicity and heritage. A child and his parents are a part of a large cultural context, and it has repeatedly been pointed out that member of a particular cultural group shares a common heritage, identity, and value. Further, the macrosystem undergoes evolution over time. Lastly, chronosystem is the pattern of transitions and environmental events over time. It adds the valuable dimension of time, indicating constancy and change in the environment of the child. For example, divorces of parents are one transition and research highlights that the negative impact of divorce on a child is drastic (Walker & Pattison, 2016).
In conclusion, it is found that a child is to be studied in the context of multiple environments he is subjected to. A child is simultaneously enmeshed in different ecosystems, wherein, the most intimate one is the home ecology, and the most outward one is the social and cultural system. Each of the systems interacts with each other to influence all aspects of a child’s life. Awareness of these precise contexts can sensitize humans to changes in the behavior and responses of a child.
b. Socialization for a child is a process by which human beings actively acquire the set of skills, knowledge and character traits that help him to participate as an effective member of the society. The process of socialization begins at birth and psychologists point out that the process is reciprocal and dynamic. Socialization includes education, social development, and child-rearing, and the outcomes are unique for each child (Furnham & Milner, 2017). The present essay discusses how the elements of the Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System Model influence a child’s socialization process.
The ecological model of Bronfenbrenner’s has the proposition that socialization of a child takes place in multiple contexts and the child is to be imaged place in the center of concentric circles, modeled by layers of multiple contexts. The child is not to be considered as solely a passive recipient in this whole interrelated process. Rather, there is a direct interaction of the child with the humans in the systems. The elements of the model, namely microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem are the driving factors for values, attitudes, motives and attributes acquired by the child. Values are the beliefs perceived as important or desirable. Attitudes are the tendencies to respond in a certain manner to particular situations. Motives are the emotions and need causing a child to act in a certain way. Attributes are the explanations laid out for the performance. For a child, the primary socialization agents are family, school, community culture and peers. The theory of Bronfenbrenner informs these socialization agents that influence child growth and development (Perry?Jenkins & Wadsworth 2017).
Ervin-Tripp (2014) gave suitable examples so explain this context of how ecological elements influence child socialization. One example is where a child X is taking part in an art class using colors to draw pictures. Another child B joins her at her table and cuts scrap paper with a scissor. When child A places a paper on the table for drawing, child B mistakenly cuts it too. Understanding the mistake, child A jumps and shouts followed by punching child B on her face. The teacher then arrives at the scenario. This example can be informed by the ecological model considering the mesosystem and microsystem. The mesosystem of child A is aggressive and forceful and the manner in which the teacher reacts results in the child developing the same approach towards others. Instead of punishing her, the educator must consult her parents as punishing her would make her hostile. In addition, the educator must be informed by the ecological model to reflect on the classroom environment to ensure that the child A’s microsystem, mainly parents, is not hostile towards her. If the microsystem is hostile towards her, then the impact on her growth would be negative.
With reference to the exosystem, Gonzalez-Mena (2016) cited the sample of the father of a child losing a job. When the father has lost a job, it is usual for the child to not attend his school for a considerable period due to the economic crisis. When the child is absent from school, he is subjected to social turmoil as the parents are fighting constantly due to economic misbalance. This ultimately leads the child to undergo a series of life-changing events hindering growth and development. On resuming presence at school, he might not be in a position to socialize with peers and would seclude himself from the school activities. The macrosystem would also play an important role in this regard. In certain cultures, the misuse of drugs and alcohol is extensive which has a direct impact on the child who is unable to understand the adverse effect. When parents have an inclination towards interacting with individuals known to have alcohol and substance abuse history, the child develops the same inclination. This results in the inappropriate socialization of the child with individuals having a negative impact on the life and development. Coming to the impact of chronosystem, the authors stated that the clear connection between time and socialization is reflected by how a child integrates attitudes and habits into his regular socialization pattern through observation. A child has the strong cognitive ability to analyse and observe the different patterns of socialization over time that he finds in his surroundings. Gradually, he develops the same patterns of socialization and exhibits the same as deemed fit by him.
In conclusion, socialization is the lifelong process of acquiring and disseminating customs, norms, and ideologies that provide a child with the habits to participate within his own society. Socialization occurs when the child develops values and attitudes capable of executing an action. The elements of the ecological model exclusively promote socialization for a child, each with its own discreet features.
2. Socialization is the active process of learning behavior from other individuals over time, and children can learn socialization skills from anyone he has contact with. There are a number of methods by which children can be socialized hat involves goals, aims and outcomes. These methods help in promoting the dynamic and reciprocal socialization process within which each child plays his role (Johnson et al., 2017). The present essay describes four socialization methods, namely affective, operant, observational and cognitive. The essay also highlights how these would be used to socialize children.
Affective method refers to the feelings and emotions that lead to attachment with an individual. Such a method merges from person-to-person interaction and is the best method of socialization for children. When individuals develop a connection with a like-minded person with a similar set of priorities and beliefs, there is an emotional bond between them. Over time, this emotional tie is effective in binding the two individuals together in space and might endure over time. When a child is successful in establishing a secured attachment, it is due to this attachment that the child is able to adopt a certain behavior of that individual. The best example can be provided by explaining how a child would inbuilt a habit of taking part in regular physical exercise from his father. A father might be having a strong preference for engaging in regular physical exercises. If the father is successful in establishing a strong bond with the child and able to motivate him, it is likely that the child would be motivated an encouraged to engage in regular physical exercises (Singer, 2017).
Operant method refers to the production of a strong and lasting effect on the mind of the child through reinforcement. The child, in this case, learns a certain behavior or develops a preference or disliking for a particular habit due to the response received against it. This implies that the behavior takes place first and then the child is in a position to learn from the response received. The response might be positive or negative, depending on the circumstances. One of the best methods is feedback that acts as a powerful tool for providing either positive or negative information about the behavior. The simplest example can be related to smoking as children at a tender age are inclined towards developing the habit of smoking. The response in this case would be a strong negative feedback about substance abuse from the parents. This would pave the way for a fast change in the desired behavior (Gonzalez-Mena, 2016).
Observational method of socialization refers to the modeling or imitation learning occurring by observation and analysis. In such a case the child observes another person, child or adult, performing a certain behavior and experiences the desire to conduct the same. In this method, the child learns through the different experiences he undergoes and picks up the lessons learned. The likelihood that a child would model a behavior demonstrated by other individual is a key function of his level of cognitive development, attention, ability to reproduce the behavior, type of activity done and the gamut of alternative behavior. Children observe their parents for a wide range of habits and behaviors and incorporate them in their daily actions. For instance, a child would observe his parents pressing the remote buttons for changing channels on television and might try to imitate the same. Another example would be a child observing his parents wash hands before having a meal and pick up the lesson (Singer, 2017).
Cognitive method of socialization indicates the manner in which a child processes information and abstracts from repeated experiences. By cognitive ability, one refers to the ability of thinking and the conscious mental processes of the human mind. The child, in this case, learns effectively through particular thinking processes that can be reasoning, following directions or setting standards. The focus is on how the child processes the information and relates to multidimensional information. The best example can be related to a school environment where the interactions between other students and educators enable a child to execute his cognitive ability to learn lessons. A child observes a peer talking repeatedly in class and getting strict punishment for the same. This can act a factor to make him realize and understand that the inappropriate behavior leads to an undesirable situation that he would like to avoid, thus restraining him from talking in class (Berns, 2012).
At the end of the discussion, it can be stated that methods of socialization aim at developing a self-concept for the child who is subjected to a fast evolving environment. By proper utilization of these methods, a child can socialize with other individuals in the vicinity as a result of their biology and culture. The active role of socialization agents such as the family, educator, and community cannot be denied in this respect.
References
Berns, R. (2012). Child, family, school, community: Socialization and support. Nelson Education.
Ervin-Tripp, S. (Ed.). (2014). Child discourse. Elsevier.
Furnham, A., & Milner, R. (2017). Parent‘s beliefs and behaviours about the economic socialisation, through allowances/pocket money, of their children. Psychology, 8(08), 1216.
Gonzalez-Mena, J. (2016). Child, family, and community: Family-centered early care and education. Pearson.
Johnson, A. M., Hawes, D. J., Eisenberg, N., Kohlhoff, J., & Dudeney, J. (2017). Emotion socialization and child conduct problems: A comprehensive review and meta-analysis. Clinical psychology review, 54, 65-80.
Perry?Jenkins, M., & Wadsworth, S. M. (2017). Work and Family Research and Theory: Review and Analysis From an Ecological Perspective. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 9(2), 219-237.
Sallis, J. F., Owen, N., & Fisher, E. (2015). Ecological models of health behavior. Health behavior: Theory, research, and practice, 5, 43-64.
Singer, E. (2017). Child-care and the psychology of development (Vol. 12). Routledge.
Vélez-Agosto, N. M., Soto-Crespo, J. G., Vizcarrondo-Oppenheimer, M., Vega-Molina, S., & García Coll, C. (2017). Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory revision: Moving culture from the macro into the micro. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12(5), 900-910.
Walker, G., & Pattison, E. (2016). Using Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Framework to Design Support Systems for Education and Special Education: Learning About Thought Systems. In Special and Gifted Education: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (pp. 11-31). IGI Global.
Essay Writing Service Features
Our Experience
No matter how complex your assignment is, we can find the right professional for your specific task. Contact Essay is an essay writing company that hires only the smartest minds to help you with your projects. Our expertise allows us to provide students with high-quality academic writing, editing & proofreading services.
Free Features
Free revision policy
$10Free bibliography & reference
$8Free title page
$8Free formatting
$8How Our Essay Writing Service Works
First, you will need to complete an order form. It's not difficult but, in case there is anything you find not to be clear, you may always call us so that we can guide you through it. On the order form, you will need to include some basic information concerning your order: subject, topic, number of pages, etc. We also encourage our clients to upload any relevant information or sources that will help.
Complete the order form
Once we have all the information and instructions that we need, we select the most suitable writer for your assignment. While everything seems to be clear, the writer, who has complete knowledge of the subject, may need clarification from you. It is at that point that you would receive a call or email from us.
Writer’s assignment
As soon as the writer has finished, it will be delivered both to the website and to your email address so that you will not miss it. If your deadline is close at hand, we will place a call to you to make sure that you receive the paper on time.
Completing the order and download