Social Science Courses/Supplemental Social Science: Study AidCourse
- AuthorJoanne Jones
Joanne has been a business professional for all of her work life. She has an undergraduate degree in Biology for The College of William & Mary. She also has earned two Master's degrees from Georgia State University. The first, an MHA (Masters of Hospital Administration) and the second an MBA (Masters of Business Administration). She has work experience in nonprofit healthcare, and automotive retail. In addition Joanne has worked as an independent consultant helping both for-profit and non-profit business and organizations with their unique challenges. She has been a Toastmaster for the last two decades focusing her personal development on being a better communicator and leader.
View bio - InstructorYolanda Williams
Yolanda has taught college Psychology and Ethics, and has a doctorate of philosophy in counselor education and supervision.
View bio
Learn about Bronfenbrenner's macrosystem and its definition. Understand what a macrosystem is, learn its role in child development, and explore examples.Updated: 11/21/2023
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good example of the macrosystem?
A country's form of government and its system of laws is a good example of a macrosystem. A child that grows up in a country that is led by an autocrat will have a different social experience than a child that grows up in a democratic country.
What is the macrosystem in Bronfenbrenner's theory?
According to Bronfenbrenner, the macrosystem in his ecological systems theory is all the cultural and societal elements that can have an impact on how a child is raised and will develop. In Bronfenbrenner's model, the macrosystem can have a direct or indirect impact on a child, but the child most likely will not impact the macrosystem.
Is social media a macrosystem?
Yes, social media is an element of a child's macrosystem. Whether or not the child interacts directly with social media platforms, they do impact the child because they impact the broader world in which the child is growing and developing.
Table of Contents
- Bronfenbrenner Ecological Systems Theory
- What Is a Macrosystem?
- Macrosystem Examples
- Lesson Summary
Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917-2005) was a Russian-born American psychologist who spent his entire life dedicated to research and education around childhood development. The core of Bronfenbrenner's theory is that biology and environment equally impact a child's development.
Bronfenbrenner's seminal child development theory is known as the ecological systems theory, sometimes referred to as the bioecological systems theory. The child/individual is at the core of Bronfenbrenner's theory. Surrounding the center are five nested systems that directly and/or indirectly impact the child. Bronfenbrenner's systems are arranged in order of impact upon the child, and each design thoroughly encapsulates the prior system. Bronfenbrenner sees development as a transactional process. How a child develops is influenced by their interactions with various aspects and spheres of their environment.
The systems that comprise Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory are the following:
- The microsystem is the first system of Bronfenbrenner's theory. The microsystem is comprised of the individuals who directly interact with the child. For example, a child's microsystem can include parents, siblings, peers, caregivers, and teachers. Interactions within the microsystem are two-way interactions in that a child is impacted by its members and can impact the members as well.
- The second system is the mesosystem. This system is represented by the interactions between the members of the child's microsystem. The members of the mesosystem do not directly impact the child. Examples of the mesosystem are a mother's interaction with the child's teachers or the relationship between a child's parents.
- The exosystem is the third system of Bronfenbrenner's theory. This system is represented by the formal and informal social structures that do not directly impact the child but indirectly influence the child because they affect a member of a child's microsystem. A parent's work situation is an excellent example of these indirectly impactful relationships. If a parent works in an overly contentious environment or is called upon to work extra hours on short notice, their planned time with their child is often cut short or impacted by the negativity that comes from working in a troubled environment.
- The macrosystem is the next system in Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. It surrounds all the systems noted above and represents the cultural elements that affect a child's development. For the most part, these system elements do not directly impact the child, but they very well will shape the child's beliefs and perceptions about the events in their life. Several examples of macrosystem elements are socioeconomic status, ethnicity, geographic location, and cultural ideology.
 |
In 1994, after more than a decade of additional research and education on his ecological system theory, Bronfenbrenner added the fifth system to the model. The fifth and final system is the chronosystem. The chronosystem recognizes the impact of time upon a person's development and underscores that development is a lifelong process. It acknowledges how and when significant events occur and how the timing of these events can influence an individual's development.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
An error occurred trying to load this video.
Try refreshing the page, or contact customer support.
You must cCreate an account to continuewatching
Register to view this lesson
Are you a student or a teacher?
Create Your Account To Continue Watching
As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 88,000lessons in math, English, science, history, and more. Plus, get practice tests, quizzes, and personalized coaching to help yousucceed.
Get unlimited access to over 88,000 lessons.
Try it now
It only takes a few minutes to setup and you can cancel any time.
Already registered? Log in here foraccess
Resources created by teachers for teachers
Over 30,000 video lessons& teaching resources‐allin one place.
Video lessons
Quizzes & Worksheets
Classroom Integration
Lesson Plans
I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. It’s like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. I feel like it’s a lifeline.
Jennifer B.
Teacher
Try it now
Back
Coming up next:Chronosystem Definition, Theory & Examples
You're on a roll. Keep up the good work!
Take QuizWatchNext Lesson
Replay
Just checking in. Are you still watching?
Yes! Keep playing.
Your next lesson will play in10 seconds
- Video
- Quiz
- Course
- Video Only
The fourth system in Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory is the macrosystem. It is defined as the values, traditions, and sociocultural characteristics of the broad cultural components that influence a developing child's identity, values, and perceptions. A macrosystem is the broad, all-encompassing influences that impact the child and all the systems that surround the child itself.
The macrosystem can directly impact the child, but it can also affect the members of the child's microsystem. By impacting the member of a child's microsystem, it impacts the child. For example, suppose a child is raised in a culture that recognizes the value of the neighborhood and shared responsibility of watching out for all members of that community. In that case, a child will feel protected in their neighborhood and comfortable being outside with or without parental supervision. The culture of the neighborhood is positive and supportive.
As shared in the example above, as the neighborhood culture impacts the child, it also affects members of the child's mesosystem. The close-knit, watchful neighborhood creates security for the child and affects the child's parents. Knowing that their child is safe within the neighborhood's confines makes the parent's interactions regarding outside play and travel within the neighborhood less stressful between themselves. If the parents are not stressed, they maintain a positive interpersonal relationship.
Macrosystems also impact the child's exosystem. That close-knit, attentive neighborhood culture could easily place undue expectations on the child's parents that stress the relationship between the parents and neighbors. For example, the parents may deem it appropriate for the child to wander unsupervised because they feel their child is safe and do not clearly state the boundaries for those wanderings. As a result, tensions could arise between the parents and neighbors. These tensions may lead the parents to resent or become detached from their neighbors, impacting the child.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Macrosystems are broad, cultural aspects that can impact a child's development, either positively or negatively. The following are examples of macrosystems that could affect a child and examples of those macrosystems in action.
- Education System - How and where a child receives their education profoundly impacts their development. Teachers are active members of a child's microsystem, but the environment in which the child and the teacher operate is equally impactful. For example, suppose a child can attend a well-funded school in an affluent community. In that case, there are adequate resources to support classroom education, suitable after-school activities, and most likely an abundance of parental classroom support. On the other hand, a child who finds themselves in a less well-funded school might experience limited educational resources, not as many extracurricular activities, and fewer outside support persons to assist the teacher with classroom demands.
- Geographic location - Where a child and their family live has a direct impact on many aspects of a child's development. Suppose a child lives and is raised in a rural, economically depressed area (i.e., an Appalachian community that has lost its main economic engine). In that case, the child will be impacted by a community that may not fully provide the needed social support systems for all citizens. Parents, teachers, and peers will all suffer from this circ*mstance. There could be a lack of school resources, poor community services, and a resulting feeling of helplessness. The reverse of this is also true. Suppose a child is raised in an affluent community comprised of well-paid citizens who pay adequate taxes to support all the needed social support systems. In that case, they will feel more secure and optimistic about the opportunities ahead.
- Law systems - Every community is governed by the prevailing law of the land, as well as state and local laws. How those laws treat the citizens of each community impacts how a child sees and experiences the world. We like to believe that all rules are applied equally, but sadly, there are daily examples of how this does not happen. For example, suppose an immigrant child is raised in a community unfriendly to non-white citizens and their children. In that case, the child may develop skepticism toward their fellow citizens and may not feel comfortable outside their family unit.
- Cultural systems - The cultural norms that govern a child's community significantly impact how a child sees the world. Culture is the way of life that manages beliefs and institutions that are passed down from generation to generation. They are often firmly engrained in all aspects of everyday life, but over time they can change. For children who were raised post the second World War, it was often the norm that the mother stayed home and raised children while the father worked. Those children developed with one view of the family unit. If that pattern was interrupted for some children through divorce or early death, their development would be impacted by the change in their cultural norms. In addition, over time, the cultural expectations of each parent's role have developed. It is not unusual for fathers to be the primary caregiver; children have adapted to this change and, in many cases, have stronger self-esteem and higher educational achievements.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Russian-born American psychologist Urie Bronfenbrenner (1917- 2005) was the author and leading authority on the ecological systems theory, sometimes called the bioecological systems theory, of childhood development. Bronfenbrenner believed that a child's development was impacted by both the child's biology and environment. The ecological systems theory involves the child at the core, and surrounding the child are five nested systems. Each subsequent system surrounds the previous systems. Working outward from the child, the systems in order are the microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem, and the macrosystem. In 1974, Bronfenbrenner added a fifth system, the chronosystem.
The macrosystem encompasses the values, traditions, and sociocultural characteristics of the broad cultural components that influence a developing child's identity, values, and perceptions. A macrosystem is the broad, all-encompassing influences that impact the child and all the systems that surround the child. Several examples of macrosystems are the education system, the law systems, the cultural systems, and the geographic location in which a child is raised.
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Video Transcript
Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory
The macrosystem is the cultural environment in which the child resides. The macrosystem is a part of the ecological systems theory.
Urie Bronfenbrenner developed the ecological systems theory in 1979 in an attempt to explain the role the environment plays in childhood development. There are five environmental systems that affect how children develop. When a change in one of the five systems occurs, it has the potential to influence the other systems. The five systems are:
- Microsystem
- Mesosystem
- Exosystem
- Macrosystem
- Chronosystem
 |
If you look closely, you can see a child in the center of the image above. Each circle that surrounds the child represents one of the five systems that influence the way the child develops.
The first circle depicted in green is the microsystem, which is the environmental system where the child's immediate interactions happen. The child's school and family are both microsystems.
The tan circle shows the mesosystem, which contains interactions between two microsystems. An example of a mesosystem is having your parents (family microsystem) chaperone a school field trip (school microsystem).
The information in the blue circle is the exosystem, which consists of the settings in the environment that have a significant influence on the child, although the child does not directly participate in the settings. An example of an exosystem is the death of a family friend.
The purple circle contains the macrosystem.
The white crescent shape outside of the circle contains the chronosystem, which consists of life transitions and events. This includes any sociohistorical events. An example of a chronosystem is the birth of a sibling when the child is five years old.
Bronfenbrenner's Macrosystem
The macrosystem is the fourth level of Bronfenbrenner's theory. Cultural values, health, and public policy and laws are all part of the macrosystem. The culture's belief systems and ideology influence the child directly, even though the child does not have much freedom in determining his or her cultural values. For example, a child cannot determine the political norms of his or her culture, which are part of the macrosystem.
The principles of the macrosystem influence the exosystems, mesosystems, and the microsystems. For example, if it is a cultural belief that mothers should have the sole responsibility of staying at home and raising the children (macrosystem), the mother would be less likely to pursue work outside of the home (parent's workplace is part of the exosystem). This in turn would affect the amount of time that the child's mother has to interact with the child's school and neighborhood (mesosystem). The mother's ability to carry out the responsibility of taking care of her child within the family (microsystem) would also be affected.
Other examples of macrosystems include socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and poverty.
Lesson Summary
The microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and the chonosystem are the five environmental levels that influence child development according to Urie Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory. The macrosystem is the fourth layer and consists of the cultural context in which the child resides. The effects of the macrosystem also trickle down to the exosystem, mesosystem, and microsystem.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completing this lesson, you will be able to:
- List the five systems of Urie Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory and understand what each system represents
- Describe the macrosystem and identify examples of it
- Explain how the macrosystem affects other systems in Bronfenbrenner's theory
To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member.
Create your account
Register to view this lesson
Are you a student or a teacher?
Unlock Your Education
See for yourself why 30 million people use Study.com
Become a Study.com member and start learning now.
Become a Member
Already a member? Log In
Resources created by teachers for teachers
Over 30,000 video lessons& teaching resources‐allin one place.
Video lessons
Quizzes & Worksheets
Classroom Integration
Lesson Plans
I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. It’s like a teacher waved a magic wand and did the work for me. I feel like it’s a lifeline.
Jennifer B.
Teacher
Try it now
Back
Recommended Lessons and Courses for You
- Related Lessons
- Related Courses
