Joanna T.

Sarmiento

Section A7

BSA-1

SELECTED THEORIES ON ECOLOGY 1. Human Ecology Theory- also called the Social Ecology Theory; states that: Families interact with their environment to form an ecosystem. Families carry out the following for the good of itself as well as the good of society: -biological sustenance, -economic maintenance, -psychosocial and nurturance functions. All peoples of the world are interdependent on the resources of the earth: there is a balance between: -cooperation and integration in the ecosystem -with demands of the individual for autonomy and freedom. Families and the environment are interdependent. Adaptation is a continuing process in families. They can respond, change, develop, and act on and modify their environment. All parts of the environment are interrelated and influence each other. Environments do not determine human behavior but pose limitations and constraints as well as possibilities and opportunities for families. Decision making is the central control process in families that directs actions for attaining individual and family goals. 2.Ecological Systems Theory- theory of Urie bronfenbrenner states that development reflects the influence of several environmental systems, and it identifies four environmental systems with which an individual interacts.

an approach to study of human development that consists of the 'scientific study of the progressive, mutual accommodation, throughout the life course, between an active, growing human being, and the changing properties of the immediate settings

Four Environmental Systems: 1. Microsystem- The layer closest to the child and contains the structure with which the child has direct contact. Including his family, friends, classmates, teachers and other people who have a direct contact with you are included in your micro system. 2.Mesosystem-It involves the relationships between the microsystems in one's life. 3.Exosystem-The larger social system in which the child does not directly function. The structure in this layer impact the childs development by interacting with some structure in his/her microsystem. 4.Macrosystem-The actual culture of an individual. The cultural contexts involve the socioeconomic status of the person and/or his family, his ethnicity or race and living in a still developing or a third world country. PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF RURAL-URBAN COMMUNITIES Rural communities 1. Lack of Infrastracture Rural communities usually lack: The social and economic infrastructure that exists in most urban communities. Sufficient roads that would increase access to agricultural inputs and markets.

2. Insufficient access to markets -Due to lack of essential infrastructure like roads or other means of transport that allow rural products to be sold in urban markets or for export. -In many rural societies, there are few job opportunities outside of agriculture, often resulting in food and income insecurity due to the precarious nature of farming. Rural workers are largely concentrated in jobs such as owners-cultivators, tenant farmers, sharecroppers, informal care workers, agricultural day-laborers, and livestock herders.

Without access to other labor markets, rural workers continue to work for extremely low wages in agricultural jobs. 3. Education and social service inadequacies Rural areas have few primary schools, requiring children to cover long distances to attend school. In other instances, in order to receive secondary education, some children have to leave home to attend residential institutions, which results in difficulties in reintegrating with family and community on return. These also offer a limited curriculum. Social isolation due to inadequate roads and poor access to information makes acquiring health care (and affording it) particularly difficult for the rural poor, resulting in worse health. 4. Less awareness about family planning that results to: Low age marriages Large number of children

Urban Communities 1. Environmental problems such as: Air pollution Industrial sites and illegal waste dumping Water safety Heat in the city

2. Congestion and lack of housing Constant migration of rural population to cities in search of jobs is causing unbearable strain on urban housing and basic services. They cannot purchase houses nor can they afford high rent, so they live in unfit accommodation, leading to the growth of slums. 3. Urban Transport problems such as: Lack of adequate public transport

Traffice congestion and parking difficulties Loss of public space Accidents and safety

4. Crime People often live more closely together in urban areas; and this makes crime more tempting and easier to conceal. 5. Unemployment Mass migration is an important cause for unemployment in urban areas. Because of this, urban communities cannot afford to provide employment opportunities to all of the migrated people, thus, causing mass unemployment.

INTERNET SOURCES: https://workfamily.sas.upenn.edu/glossary/e/ecological-systems-theory-definitions http://explorable.com/ecological-systems-theory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecological_systems_theory http://sociology-4-all.blogspot.com/2009/06/social-or-human-ecology.html http://www.yourarticlelibrary.com/unemployment/the-causes-of-unemployment-at-urban-areasin-india/4705/ http://www.bcca.org/ief/rem/remb1.htm http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090715224140AA5SiuY http://people.hofstra.edu/geotrans/eng/ch6en/conc6en/ch6c4en.html