Socioemotional Development

Links:

Bronfenbrenner\'s Ecological Systems

Erikson\'s Eight Stages of Development

INTRODUCTION

Two theories related to socioemotional development are Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory and Erikson's Life-Span Development Theory. These theories are important because they provide a framework for understanding how social contexts help to shape development.

BRONFENBRENNER'S ECOLOGICAL THEORY

Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory urges teachers to think about the various contexts that shape students' development and, hence, their performance within the classroom. Following this theory, the context around socioemotional development can be viewed as five concentric circles (see figure), each of which represents an environmental system. Beginning with the innermost circle and moving out, these environmental systems include:

1. Microsystem--settings where students spend a great deal of their time (e.g., home, school, peers, neighborhood)

2. Mesosystem--links among various settings in the microsystem, such as home-school connections and connections between a student's parents and peers.

3. Exosystem--settings where decisions are made that impact a student's experiences in the microsystem (e.g., school board, local government, social services)

4. Macrosystem--the broad cultural environment in which the norms and expectations of society are communicated and reinforced

5. Chronosystem--social and historical conditions that have been shaped by events and developments

ERIKSON'S LIFE-SPAN DEVELOPMENT THEORY

While Bronfenbrenner's theory highlights five systems that shape development, Erikson's Life-Span Development theory describes eight stages. Each stage is characterized by a conflict that must be resolved for an individual to remain psychologically healthy. The two stages that are directly related to childhood and adolescence are:

Stage 4: Industry vs Inferiority (ages 6-puberty). To resolve the conflict between industry (def: hard work; productiveness) and inferiority, students must master knowledge and skills and avoid developing feelings of inferiority or incompetence.

Stage 5: Identity vs Identity Confusion (ages 10-20). To successfully navigate this conflict, students must explore various roles and statuses to help them figure out who they are and what they want from life.

These stages are useful for teachers because they address some of the important conflicts facing students as they progress through school. Still, these stages should not be applied rigidly because aspects of development may unfold differently for different students.

RESOURCES

Click the links on the left to watch videos that explain each theory using everyday examples. These videos will help you to connect each theory to teaching and learning.