Identity development is shaped by five nested environmental systems of varying proximity.

Evidence

Ecological systems consider an individual’s relationship with their environment and how their experience is shaped by individual traits interacting with their environment. Bronfenbrenner’s (1994) ecological model of human development contains five systems that vary in proximity to the individual. This model is typically depicted by five concentric circles in which the individual is at the center of these circles. The surrounding concentric circles include the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem. — Tatiana I. Zamora and Amado M. Padilla, Making sense of conflicting messages of…, 41

Categorization

• DEFINE: Names and frames the five-level ecological model, shorthand for an identity-systems analysis.
• XREF: connects to: Racial identity forms in settings and social exchanges, not just within individuals.

Related

• Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model frames identity as nested social-environment systems (similarity 0.95)
• Identity development is produced by environmental settings, not individual processes alone (similarity 0.85)