Ecosystems Perspective

The ecosystems perspective is widely accepted in the professions of family therapy, social work, and developmental psychology. Central to the ecosystems perspective is the dynamic interaction between the person and the environment with an emphasis on the person’s active participation with their environment. The person and the environment are seen in terms of their relationship, in which each continually influences the other within a particular context. Families interact with their environment to form an ecosystem. The use of an ecosystems perspective to understand individual and family functioning broadens the context of understanding through considering the multiple systems with which the family interacts. In family therapy, the ecosystems perspective is based on the reciprocal relations within the family and relationships outside its boundaries among individuals, families, ...