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ERIC Number: ED287125
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1987-May
Pages: 18
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Family Wellness: An Ecological Perspective.
Fannin, Ronald A.
Bronfenbrenner's (1979) concept of human ecology emphasizes the effect of the environment, both physical and psychological, on individual development. Bronfenbrenner's contexts which affect the development of the individual (microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem) can also be defined for the family in an ecological model of family wellness. The family's microsystem consists of family members, both nuclear and extended, and the perceptions and expectations they hold for the family. The family's mesosystem involves settings in which individual family members operate alone: the parents' workplace, the child's school, the neighborhood. The third level of influence, the exosystem, involves settings in which the family as a whole or individual members of the family are not likely to be directly involved. This context is the point at which society has influence upon what goes on within the family. The final level of influence, the macrosystem, involves the orientation of the society toward families and what families do. In terms of family wellness, Bronfenbrenner's concept of an ecological transition can be seen as involving changes in the family's relationship to its broader environment. Those interested in facilitating and supporting family wellness can emphasize ecological transitions which move the family toward a state of greater wellness. (NB)
Publication Type: Speeches/Meeting Papers
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A