Reflecting on Personal Life Experience

Reflecting on personal life experience is essential for recollecting what has been learned and then further improvising upon it. This reflection explores the influence of human development theories on the author's life and discusses the impact of Erik Erikson's and Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory. The author applies these theories to explain their life's progress and design a plan of action to overcome relevant development-related challenges.

Running Head: REFLECTION
REFLECTING ON PERSONAL LIFE EXPERIENCE

REFLECTION
Reflecting on personal life experience is essential for recollecting what has been learned
and then further improvising upon it. In the current scope of self-reflection, I have written about
my personal life with two key human development theories of Erik Erikson and
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory (Tudge, Mokrova, Hatfield & Karnik, 2009). I have
applied the 5th stage for Erikson’s which includes identity versus role confusion. It deals with
adolescent and ways peers and groups influences while growing up. I have applied these theories
to explain my life’s progress and then design a plan of action to overcome any relevant
development related challenges faced.
To start with, as a child, I had been brought up by my parents and grandparents. I
received a tremendous amount of support and love from my immediate environmental
microsystem. As we lived in a joint family, I did not need to make many outside friends and
children of other family members formed my friends. My closest associates were my niece and
nephews, who lived along with me. We lived in a big house. I have two siblings with whom I am
deeply connected. From the growing up microsystem of mine, I can say that each person had a
tremendous influence on my personality (Rosa & Tudge, 2013). I have developed sweet and
steady temperament from my microsystem in which I have grown up, like biology and
genetically I have been nicely treated by others. This has formed the basis with which I treat
everyone I meet in a nice manner and have a good, positive temperament to deal with people.
Applying the Erikson's theory, it can be said that I learned fidelity and devoted to my family and
greater family members.
The second stage according to Bronfenbrenner’s ecological or the mesosystem influence
includes the interaction between the home, school, peer group, family members and temple
(Boon, Cottrell, King, Stevenson & Millar, 2012). As a child, my development was positively
influenced as my parents often invited my school friends to the house and let me spend time with
them. However, sometimes my parents criticized one of my friend, which I believe have affected
my emotions in a negative manner. Now I am hesitant to make friends or rely on them easily. My
school life was mostly spent well with my teachers liking me. I passed out 12th standard at the
age of 19 years with good grades and came to Australia for undertaking further studies. In
Australia, I developed a close relationship with many friends and colleagues. My nature appeals
to them very much and I have been able to develop close bonding with them within a very short
2

REFLECTION
time span (McLeod, 2013). From such influence, I have been able to emerge as a well-balanced
grown-up adult undertaking minimum conflicts with other people. As per Erikson’s theory, I can
say that I have emerged to be a well-balanced adult with no threat received during my adolescent
period. This is extremely crucial for having a well-balanced psychological environment. My
family members have always protected me and guided me in a positive manner.
The exosystem comprises of settings that affect a child's development in an indirect
manner. For me, influence from such exosystem was from my father’s workplace, neighborhood
and extended members of my family (Dunkel & Sefcek, 2009). As I grew up in a joint family our
house used to be always filled up with family members from my extended family as well as close
neighbors. Our family members shared a very close relationship with extended family members
as well as neighbors. I feel myself to be very lucky to have such linkages with extremely caring
and successful people. This motivated me to take upon my life and career goals easily with
steady focus. In my new and independent life in Australia, I started studying and taking up my
course in a serious manner. I could easily manage my expenses well, having grown up in a
closely knit family, where there was only one earning member, my father. I learned ways of
social interactions from my closely knit members of my family (Ashiabi & O’Neal, 2015).
Finally the macrosystem according to Bronfenbrenner’s model includes the largest and
collection of distance people, which creates an impact on the child. It includes the cultural
pattern and value system on the child with dominant ideas and beliefs along with the political
and economic system. The economic scenario in my hometown was not very stable and most
people depended upon income from farming to support their daily livelihood. Further, there is
tremendous political influence back in my hometown with tremendous bureaucratic influences
over every decision making the place. This hampered capability of my father and other family
members to set up businesses easily or expand them with ease. Every time my father had a fresh
idea, it was difficult to implement. I have seen this all through my life while growing up from
being a child to becoming an adult. This has deterred my spirits greatly and I have decided that I
will never pursue or establish my own business (Guhn & Goelman, 2011). I feel the influence on
me from my macrosystem is tremendously high and has shaped me as an individual. I feel
saddened that I lack the courage and motivation in setting up my own business. I feel that it is
best to have a profession set in job life and remain committed to it.
3

REFLECTION
The last layer of Bronfenbrenner’s model includes the chronosystem, that comprises of
the most useful dimension of time. It impacts both changes along with constancy within a child's
environment. It includes family structure and other societal features. Influences from such
greater chronosystem have been tremendous in nature for me, I feel. As I have grown up in an
extremely secure and well-bonded ecosystem. Hence, to conclude I can say that all the layers of
the ecosystem as described in Bronfenbrenner’s model had a significant influence on my life.
And I have grown up to be the person I am today from such influences. I extremely value such
experiences and contributing to my life to make me the person I am today.
4

REFLECTION
References
Ashiabi, G. S., & O’Neal, K. K. (2015). Child social development in context: An examination of
some propositions in Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory. Sage Open, 5(2),
2158244015590840. doi: 10.1177/2158244015590840. Retrieved from
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2158244015590840
Boon, H. J., Cottrell, A., King, D., Stevenson, R. B., & Millar, J. (2012). Bronfenbrenner’s
bioecological theory for modelling community resilience to natural disasters. Natural
Hazards, 60(2), 381-408. doi: 10.1007/s11069-011-0021-4. Retrieved from
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11069-011-0021-4
Dunkel, C. S., & Sefcek, J. A. (2009). Eriksonian lifespan theory and life history theory: An
integration using the example of identity formation. Review of General
Psychology, 13(1), 13-23. Retrieved from doi: 10.1037/a0013687.
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1037/a0013687
Guhn, M., & Goelman, H. (2011). Bioecological theory, early child development and the
validation of the population-level early development instrument. Social Indicators
Research, 103(2), 193. doi: 10.1007/s11205-011-9842-5. Retrieved from
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11205-011-9842-5
McLeod, S. (2013). Erik erikson. Retrieved August, 9, 2013. Retrieved from
https://docuri.com/download/erik-erikson-psychosocial-stages-simply-
psychology_59c1e23ff581710b286a64c6_pdf
5

REFLECTION
Rosa, E. M., & Tudge, J. (2013). Urie Bronfenbrenner's theory of human development: Its
evolution from ecology to bioecology. Journal of Family Theory & Review, 5(4), 243-
258. doi: 10.1111/jftr.12022. Retrieved from
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jftr.12022
Tudge, J. R., Mokrova, I., Hatfield, B. E., & Karnik, R. B. (2009). Uses and misuses of
Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory of human development. Journal of family theory
& review, 1(4), 198-210. doi: 10.1111/j.1756-2589.2009.00026.x. Retrieved from
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1756-2589.2009.00026.x
6