Families and Society : Risk & Protective Factors

Ecological Systems Theory (AKA Ecosystemic Perspective)

“The ecosystemic perspective is a way of thinking and organizing knowledge that emphasizes the interrelatedness and interdependency between individuals and social systems.” (Queralt in Waller, 2001, p. 290)

Development=adaptation between individual and environment

Ecological Systems TheoryIntroduced by Urie Bronfenbrenner in 1979

Ecological systems cont. Microsystem: immediate interactions between individual

and environment Face-to-face interactions—family, peers, neighbors, etc.

Mesosystem: interrelationships among two or more settings in which the person actively participates Relationships between systems—parents and school

Exosystem: settings in which individual is not actively involved (at present) but affects the individual Indirect setting—state economy

Macrosystem: the culture in which the individual lives. Ideology or belief system inherent in social institutions (ethnic, cultural, religious influences, economic and political systems as well) Political party majority

Chronosystem: The time dimension, both life course and sociocultural history Changing gender roles, marriage and divorce patterns,

shifting ideas of family over time

Risk and Protective Factors Risk factors: “influences occurring at any

systemic level, that threaten positive adaptational outcomes.” (Waller, p. 292) Challenging life circumstances (racism, addiction) Trauma (violence, death of parent) What are other risk factors you are familiar with?

Protective factors: facilitate positive outcomes by operating as buffers between individuals and potential risk factors What are protective factors you are familiar with?

Risk/Protective FactorsIndividual level:

TemperamentIntelligenceSocial skillsSelf confidence

Microsystem level:Parental competencyMarital harmonyEducational attainmentSocioeconomic statusNeighborhood safety

Mesosystem level:Parental involvement in schoolQuality of schoolsWorkplace accommodations

Exosystem level:Employment opportunitiesSocial and political equity of

communityEducational equityLegal representation

Macrosystem level:Racial/ethnic identityOppression/discriminationMedia representationReligious tolerance

Chronosystem level (individual and sociohistorical):

Lifespan development and eventsHistorical representationImmigration history

Derived from Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and Margaret A. Waller’s Resilience in Ecosystemic Context (2001)

Resilience “Positive adaptation in the face of adversity”

(Waller, p. 292) Resilience research and theory traditionally

focused on within-person factors (biological, psychological, emotional), “personality traits or coping styles” The “right stuff” to pull themselves up by their

bootstraps and overcome adversity-have it or don’t

Blames the victim Expanding to consider environmental factors

and influences, interactions.

Resilience (cont.) An individual may be resilient or vulnerable depending on time

and context Resilience ------ Vulnerability continuum, rather than binary

categories Risk chains and protective chains

Poverty, unemployment, single-parent household, stress, low education, etc.

Wealth, safe neighborhood, extra curricular involvement, lower stress, high quality schools, etc.

Cumulative “pile-up” effect of risk factors Risk can be counterbalanced by protective influences and

interventions (organic or targeted) Example: Big Brothers, Big Sisters Project)

A given event can be risk and protective concurrently Example: divorce—reduced parental time and supervision, increased

positive relationships with parents (no longer in constant stress, violence)