# Culture --- **Culture** is a [[social construct]] that is a system of shared beliefs, connections, norms, behaviors, expectations, and symbolic representations that persist over time. This is important to understand in terms of [[life-span development]], and this is what is meant when they say "development is multicultural". Especially interesting is when two different cultures that an individual belongs to clash. [[cultural humility]] Culture is a crucial filter through which people "learn how to be in the world, how to behave, what to value, and what gives meaning to existence" (Schim and Doorenbos, 2010, p. 256). Cultural patterns are socially transmitted through family, and other social institutions. They are an essential part of personal identity. People pass down social customs ("the way we do things"), cultural beliefs, values, and language, from one generation to the next (Giger et al, 2007). Cultures evolve, but vestiges from the past can still influence behavior and communication in the resent. The most obvious example of culture is that which somewhat mirrors nationality—Japanese culture, British culture, Peruvian culture, etc—but cultures exist in almost every aspect of our lives. There's a work culture specific to your work, a school culture, a family culture, and so on. **Everyone belongs to multiple cultures simultaneously**, simply by interacting with different groups throughout the day/week/year. ## The Ecological Systems Theory The **ecological systems theory** is a theory or frameworks for understanding human [[life-span development|development]], by taking into account the myriad of systems that all interact and influence a person's development. >[!people]- Urie Bronfenbrenner >The exological-systems approach was pioneered by developmentalist **Urie Bronfenbrenner**, and is sometimes refered to as "Bronfenbrenner's exological framework". There are three **primary systems**, and two **special systems**. The primary systems are these: - The **microsystem** is the most immediate system, and it has the most direct, obvious effect. It consists of one's family, and peers, the religious or school institutions one attends, and the neighborhood one lives in. - The **exosystem** is the system that are still immediate, but not direct. This includes a parent's work environment, which affects the parent, which affects the child. Another example is the types and influences of local institutions, such as medical facilities, mass media or the educational system. - The **macrosystem** is the larger social setting and culture in the region the individual lives in. This includes [[social determinants of health|SES]], industry, mass media, social services and policies. The special systems are these: - The **mesosystem** is the result of the interactions between the other systems, such as the relationship between a child's parents and their teachers. - The **chronosystem** is the pattern of environmental events and transitions over the course of one's lifetime. For example, if parents divorce, which causes some chaos initially, then levels off after a few years. ![[ecological systems.png]] ___