Ecological Perspective

The Ecological Perspective focuses on the many outside influences an individual faces throughout their life.  Everyday, individuals encounter institutions that directly affect them, such as their family, work, and school. These institutions are called the Microsystem. Not only do these institutions affect individuals separately, but they also interact in what the theory calls the Mesosystem.  The Exosystem considers how institutions have an influence on individuals, even if they do not directly encounter them.   Lastly this theory considers the Marcosystem, which deals with one's cultural and society influences, and the Chronosystem, which considers how these systems work over time.  The Ecological Perspective is helpful when discussing marriage and families because it considers the effects of all these major influencers.  A wide range of influences shape us as people, and who we become affect our attitudes in marriage and towards our families. The image conveys how an individual is surrounded by and directly affected by the institutions around them.