...The New Ecological Anthropology Older ecologies have been remiss in the narrowness of their spatial and temporal horizons, their functionalist assumptions, and their apolitical character. Suspending functionalist assumptions and an emphasis upon (homeo)stasis, "the new ecological anthropology" is located at the intersection of global, national, regional, and local systems, studying the outcome of the interaction of multiple levels and multiple factors. It blends theoretical and empirical research with applied, policy-directed, and critical work in what Rappaport called an "engaged" anthropology; and it is otherwise attuned to the political aspects and implications of ecological processes. Carefully laying out a critique of previous ecologies by way of announcing newer approaches, the article insists on the need to recognize the importance of culture mediations in ecological processes rather than treating culture as epiphenomenal and as a mere adaptive tool. It closes with a discussion of the methodologies appropriate to the new ecological anthropology. / "the new ecology, " political ecology, applied or engaged anthropology, linkages methodology] cological anthropology was named as such during the 1960s, but it has many ancestors, including Daryll Forde, Alfred Kroeber, and, especially, Julian Steward. Steward's cultural ecology influenced the ecological anthropology of Roy Rappaport and Andrew P. Vayda, but the analytic unit shifted from "culture" to the ecological population...
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...Ecosystems Theory Chris Smith Western Kentucky University SWRK 331 –610: Human Behavior in the Social Environment II Western Kentucky University – Owensboro March 19, 2013 Ecosystems Theory Defined The ecosystems theory as utilized in social work is an adaptation in and of itself. The ecosystems theory is a combination of ecology and general systems theory. According to the American Heritage Dictionary, ecology is “The science of the relationship between organisms and their environments [ (Bantam Dell, 2007, p. 272) ]. An ecological systems approach only tells us organisms will adapt to environmental changes and does not tell us specifically what steps the organism takes in order to adapt to change, this is where general systems theory, the second contributor to ecosystems theory, comes to play a part [ (Greif, 1986) ]. General systems theory shows how an organism’s interaction with another cannot only instigate change within itself but can also instigate change in others as well. According to Wakefield (1996), Systems are sets of interacting elements; systems can be open or closed to interaction with the outside world; systems are linked hierarchically; systems can possess states of homeostasis and equilibrium or can be in disequilibrium; systems are regulated through positive and negative feedback; and, again, causal influences are circular, in that changes in one system have consequences for other linked systems that, in turn, through feedback, have consequences...
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...understanding of how children development is shaped by their social contexts resulted in increased efforts. Bronfenbrenner believed that a person’s development was affected by everything in their surrounding environment(Developmental Psychology, 2013). He therefore divided the person’s environment into five incomparable levels(microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and the chronosystem) and has had a particularly wide and significant influence in shaping our understanding of how different levels of the system in the social context interact in the process of child development.Thus this essay will discuss these different environmental levels by referring to my educational background and examining the influences in my life. Microsystem Beginning with the first level of Bronfenbrenner's theory: the microsystem which is the system closest to the person and the one in which they have direct contact. Some examples would be home, school, daycare, or...
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...Bronfenbrenner's ecological model to explain how children's development is affected by different groups within their world. Using this theory, we can understand how children are socialized both intentionally and unintentionally. You must understand how this theory applies to your own upbringing as well as a young child's upbringing in order to truly comprehend the concept. After reading the text and the "Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory" article, use your understanding of this theory to respond to the questions below. Using Bronbenbrenner's ecological model, respond to the following questions: a. How did the microsystem that you grew up in differ from your parents’ or grandparents’ microsystems? Do you think this is a detrimental or an affirmative change to society as a whole? b. How do you think technology, specifically social media, influences a child's mesosystems? Bronfenbrenner’s ecological system contains four parts beginning with microsystem. The article states, “The microsystem- this is the layer closest to the child and contains the structures with which the child has direct contact. The microsystem encompasses the relationships and interactions a child has with her immediate surrounds (Berk, 2000).” My microsystem was very different from my parents. My father’s father passed away when he was seven years old. He grew up with a single mother who had to work full time and was not able to spend a lot of time at home with him. My mother grew up...
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...paper I will discuss how becoming a father and how being the first in my family to attend college had a profound influence on my life. I will asses the influence of Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological System Theory of each experience. According to (Mossler, 2013) “Urie Bronfenbrenner proposed a theory of ecological systems, which focused on broad, interconnected influences on human development.” (Section 2.6 “Urie Bronfenbrenner and Ecological System Theory,” para. 1). I will also examine how I learned from each of my experiences that are apparent in whom I am today and how these experiences apply to my online learning. There was a time when my wife and I thought we were incapable of having our own children together. Her doctor told her that she would never have children due to a procedure that was done during her early teen years on her cervix. This discouraging news made it seem impossible for us to have own our children. Despite the news, we never stopped trying. One day we finally got our blessing and it was confirmed that my wife was pregnant. I remember feeling like I had just hit the lotto when I got the news. The excitement only grew once the months rolled on. It was an incredible feeling when I got the chance to hear the heart beat for the first time and to find out that we were having a boy during a 3D ultrasound. I was ecstatic about becoming a father. I always wanted my own family and I did not feel like my wife and I were complete until we had children. The day our son...
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... and theories the social worker possess about society, humans, and their behavior. I will develop my own theoretical framework by discussing the nature of human beings, whether human behavior is purposeful, what makes people change, what the role of the environment is, the effect of human development on behavior, my social work personality and style, my...
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...involved in the life of a developing adolescent that interconnects with a series of reciprocal systems. I can recall as a developing adolescent quickly maturing into adulthood, the many social, economic, external and internal influences that contributed to certain at-risk behaviors. These type of influences impacted me directly and indirectly. I was influenced by the several environments I was in, and I also contributed to influencing the environment around me. Attempting to exert control over uncontrollable circumstances only lead to desperate situations and weighty consequences. However, learning to accept my present circumstances, and how to appropriately respond to the hardship and temptations in life developed positive life changes. Analysis 1 Individual human development occurs within interconnected and embedded ecological systems (McWhirter et al, 2013). The ecological systems include the individual, the microsystem, the mesosystem, the exosystem, and macrosystem (McWhirter et al, 2013). The individual consists of genetic and biological factors, and personality characteristics (McWhirter et al, 2013). The microsystem consists of the people that the individual comes into direct contact with and who the individual interacts with (McWhirter et al, 2013). The mesosystem is the embedded interconnections between different microsystems and the impact of the interactions that take place (McWhirter et al, 2013). The exosystem consists of the interconnections between one or more...
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...The Journal of Applied Business Research – May/June 2015 Volume 31, Number 3 Collaborative Consumption And Sustainability: A Discursive Analysis Of Consumer Representations And Collaborative Website Narratives Anne-Sophie Binninger, NEOMA Business School, France Nacima Ourahmoune, NEOMA Business School, France Isabelle Robert, University Lille Nord de France-SKEMA Business School, France ABSTRACT In this article, the authors analyze the collaborative consumption model and its contribution to sustainable consumption. Indeed, collaborative consumption is considered as an alternative, ecological consumption mode (Bostman & Rogers, 2011), but previous research has no yet deeply explored to what extent it contributes the sustainable scheme and values. The study therefore investigates both the producer side (collaborative websites) and consumer side (blog participants) to decipher how sustainable ideals are shaped in this context and how consumers attend to them. Six segments of consumers have been identified which can help marketing and sustainable levers better frame their offer. Keywords: Collaborative Consumption; Sustainable Consumption; Access-Based Consumption; Sharing INTRODUCTION O ver the last decade, markets have changed significantly in terms of our relationship to goods, leading to other forms of acquisition and consumption than via possession (Rifkin, 2000, Lovelock and Gummeson 2004, Mont, 2002, Giesler 2006, Chen, 2009, Belk, 2010, Gansky 2010; Bostman & Rogers...
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...Sustainability Media Journal 111857253 Xuxu Miao The concept of sustainable development spread first into the mainstream in the 1980s. These years, driven by internal and external factors, many corporations are beginning to integrate sustainability into their business models to gain competitive advantage in today’s market. This essay will introduce what forces the corporation to become sustainable and what corporation can do to achieve sustainability while listing an example of an ideal corporation in this term. Both of the external and internal drivers accelerate transformation towards sustainability for corporation. The worsening environment in China is prominent power for moving to sustainability currently. The push to clean up the country's air, land and water has forced company to transform its developing model. Though China has become the world's second- largest economy, it is still in the lower part of the world's industry chain and has a lot of industries with excessive energy consumption and high pollution. Due to social and economic factors, Hebei provincial government in January this year has banned approvals of new steel, cement, glass and nonferrous metal plants-these industries are both environment killers and economic drivers in Hebin (Jin Haixing 2014). It can be seen that these industries have to change their way of operation, which can add the most value with the least use of resources and pollution. Meanwhile, increasing public awareness of sustainability...
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...Environment and Development tried to resolve the problem that lies in contradictions between environment and economical goals; the result was formed in definition of sustainable development: ‘Sustainable development is development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Smith & Rees 1998, p. 15). Since that long time ago 1987, there have been a lot of researches in this field, and three essential aspects of sustainable development have been defined (Kronenberg & Bergier 2012, p. 24). At first, there is economic – a sustainable system must be able to produce goods and services on a permanent basis, to maintain appropriate levels of debt (government as well as external one), and to avoid significant disbalance in different sectors (that can damage agricultural or industrial production). Second one is environmental aspect – a sustainable system must maintain a stable resource base, avoid over-exploitation of renewable resources, and exhausting nonrenewable resources only if adequate substitutes exist. The last aspect is social one - a sustainable system must characterized by fair distribution and opportunity for everybody, provision of social services (like health, education, etc.) on the adequate level, gender equity, and political accountability and participation (Hofkes 1996, p. 342).These three aspects of sustainability make the originally simple definition of economic development more complicated...
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...Columbia University, and NBER Executive Summary Until very recently, science was not considered a core part of development strategy, especially in the case of the poorest countries. While this misconception is changing, as it changes, it is becoming clear that there is not enough of the critically needed science base to solve a lot of the development problems in the poorest countries. This chapter highlights the causes of this divide as well as steps that can be taken to promote a technological upgrading in lowincome countries, whether by the diffusion of technologies from abroad, or by the development of innovative technologies at home. I. Introduction My subject here is the nature of innovation systems in poor countries or, more particularly, the lack of such systems, and why innovation and technological advance do not take place at a vigorous rate in large parts of the developing world. I'm going to identify some hypotheses and research issues to be pursued, very much hoping that the research group at the NBER can take on some of the challenges. I think that the challenges of economic development are not going to be addressed properly until we better integrate issues of science and technology into the basic economic development strategies of low-income countries. Until very recently, science was not considered a core part of development strategy, especially in the case of the poorest countries. Science and technology policy is hardly mentioned in the...
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... Over the course of the afternoon I was able to spend a great deal of time observing and rather than interview him, I performed small tests in an attempt to gauge Jonathan’s physical, cognitive and emotional development. Using these observations I was able to learn about his developmental process and see the milestones as noted in our book. Observation of Physical Developmental Milestones Jonathan is curious and very active during my observation. There are several different types of toys surrounding us in the living room. There is a television playing cartoons in the background, which Jonathan periodically stops to look at. Jonathan is teething so he drools quite frequently. After taking some time to fully wake up this morning, his mother Kelly drops him onto the middle of the play space and he is ready to play. To assess Jonathan’s developmental level, I record the gross and fine motor skills that he displays at this time. Gross Motor Development Motor skills are simply actions that involve using muscles in the body. Gross motor skills involve making large movements with the arms, legs, feet and entire body. Sitting, crawling and walking are examples of gross motor skills that can begin to develop as early as seven months, when an infant can begin to sit on his own. Sitting. Jonathan sits up with ease and seems very sure of himself. He does sometimes fall...
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...schools towards a whole school approach, it is promoting advancements and help for teachers to achieve Victorian curriculum components and the Australian Professional Standards 3, 4 and 7 for teachers (Australian Institute of Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL, 2017). Additionally, DVRCV seem to apply the third action plan, from the National Framework (Refer to Appendix 6) to prevent violence by informing and educating schools of what they can do to help prevent the issue (COAG, 2010). While the partnerships in prevention program that DVRCV deliver is for the entire school community, my own practices would also apply as I am a port of the school community (AITSL, 2017; PIP, 2017). Implications that I will carry out in my own practice to promote these positive values, attitudes and understandings (Forman & Arthur-Kelly, 2014) is to encourage leadership and social action, attend professional development training regularly to respond appropriately to legislations, policies and procedure (AITSL, 2017; PIP, 2017), give students a voice, value student’s individuality, normalise diversity and, recognise and engage with families (AITSL, 2017; Forman & Arthur-Kelly, 2014). Within the classroom this is promoting student’s wellbeing through...
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...that best fits with my childhood memory is the ecological theory. Urie Bronfenbrenner proposed the Bronfenbrenner’s model in 1977. This model suggests that each person’s development is influenced by the five different systems. These systems include, the microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem. The microsystem includes the face-to-face interactions the person has with other people. This mainly includes family, teachers and friends. These are the people that will have the most time with the child. The mesosystem is the influence of connecting two separate microsystems. For instance, the influence that the interaction between a child’s friends and parents or parents and a teacher can influence the child’s development....
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...Theoretical models of decision-making, and their neuroscientific underpinnings Introduction In this essay I would like to focus the theoretical models of decision making that have come from psychology, cognitive and ecological alike, and review relevant literature from cognitive neuroscience that may or may not provide neural foundation for the claims that they have formulated. The reason for which I find it interesting to contrast these two approaches is there different outlook on the concept of “bias”. Traditional – closed systems - approaches to decision-making The investigation of decision-making is a multidisciplinary endeavor with researchers approaching the area from different fields and applying numerous different models (Hastie, 2001). The normative model of decision-making originates from mathematics and economics and the most prominent normative model is perhaps Subjectively Expected Utility (SEU; Savage, 1954). This model of rational behavior implies that people act as if they are calculating the "expected utility" of each option, choosing the one that they believe has the highest value. It has been criticized however, as some researchers doubted whether humans actually perform the mental multiplications and additions suggested by SEU. Simon (1955) was the first to challenge the assumptions of optimizing decision theories (such as SEU) making strong arguments concerning the limited capacity of the decision maker, for which he introduced the term “bounded rationality”...
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