Nested or Networked? Future Directions for Ecological Systems Theory

TLDR

Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory is a widely used framework that traditionally treats ecological levels as nested within one another. This paper proposes a networked model of EST, using Simmel’s intersecting circles and Bronfenbrenner’s network ideas to view ecological systems as overlapping, interconnected structures. The authors redefine the micro, meso, exo, macro, and chrono systems based on social interaction patterns and illustrate the model’s application to child development, offering initial suggestions for translating the theory into method. They argue that the networked EST provides developmental researchers with a more precise and flexible conceptual framework for ecological contexts and outline future research directions.

Abstract

Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory (EST) is among the most widely adopted theoretical frameworks for studying individuals in ecological contexts. In its traditional formulation, different levels of ecological systems are viewed as nested within one another. In this paper, we use Simmel’s notion of intersecting social circles and Bronfenbrenner’s earlier writing on social networks to develop an alternative “networked” model that instead views ecological systems as an overlapping arrangement of structures, each directly or indirectly connected to the others by the direct and indirect social interactions of their participants. We redefine each of the systems discussed by EST – micro, meso, exo, macro, and chrono – based on patterns of social interaction, and then illustrate how this alternative model might be applied in the classic context of the developing child. We conclude by discussing future directions for how the networked model of EST can be applied as a conceptual framework, arguing that this approach offers developmental researchers with a more precise and flexible way to think about ecological contexts. We also offer some initial suggestions for moving a networked EST model from theory to method.