Urie Bronfenbrenner (April 29, 1917–September 25, 2005) was an
Russian AmericanRussian Americans are Americans whose ancestors were born in Russia. Non-ethnic Russians in this group could be Jews, Ukrainians, Armenians, or any other ethnicity who were born and grew up in Russia.-Demographics:...
psychologistA psychologist is someone who studies the human mind and behavior. Research psychologists study human perception, cognition, attention, emotion, motivation, personality, behavior and interpersonal relationships...
, known for developing his
Ecological Systems TheoryEcological Systems Theory, also called Development in Context or Human Ecology theory, specifies four types of nested environmental systems, with bi-directional influences within and between the systems.- Overview :...
, and as a co-founder of the
Head StartHead Start is a program of the United States Department of Health and Human Services that provides comprehensive education, health, nutrition, and parent involvement services to low-income children and their families....
program in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
for disadvantaged pre-school children.
Background and career
Urie Bronfenbrenner was born to
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n
JewThe Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
s, Dr. Alexander Bronfenbrenner and Eugenie Kamenetski Bronfenbrenner, in
MoscowMoscow is the capital and the largest city of Russia. It is also the largest metropolitan area in Europe, and ranks among the largest urban areas in the world. Moscow is a major political, economic, cultural, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the world, a...
,
RussiaRussia , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia . It is a semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. At age 6, the family moved from the USSR to the United States. After a brief stay in Pittsburgh, they settled in Letchworth Village, New York, the home of the New York State Institution for the Mentally Retarded, where his father worked as a
clinical pathologistPsychopathology is a term which refers to either the study of mental illness or mental distress, or the manifestation of behaviors and experiences which may be indicative of mental illness or psychological impairment, such as abnormal, maladaptive behavior or mental activity.Psychopathology is that...
and research director.
After his graduation from high school in Haverstraw, Bronfenbrenner attended
Cornell UniversityCornell University is a private university located in Ithaca, New York, USA, that is a member of the Ivy League.Cornell counts more than 255,000 living alumni, 28 Rhodes Scholars and 41 Nobel laureates affiliated with the university as faculty or students...
on a scholarship, completing a double major in
psychologyPsychology is an academic and applied discipline involving the systematic, and sometimes scientific, study of human or animal mental functions and behavior...
and
musicMusic is an art form whose medium is sound. Common elements of music are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
in 1938. He went on to do graduate work in
developmental psychologyDevelopmental psychology, also known as human development, is the scientific study of systematic psychological changes that occur in human beings over the course of the life span. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to include adolescence and adult development,...
, earning an
M.A.A Master of Arts is a postgraduate academic master degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in English, Fine Arts, History, Nursing, Humanities, Geography, Philosophy, Social Sciences or Theology and can be either fully-taught, research-based, or a...
at
Harvard UniversityHarvard University is a private university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts and a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1636 by the colonial Massachusetts legislature, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and currently comprises ten separate academic units...
, followed by a
Ph.D.Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated PhD , for the Latin , meaning "teacher of philosophy", or alternatively, DPhil, for the equivalent , is an advanced academic degree awarded by universities...
from the
University of MichiganThe University of Michigan, Ann Arbor is a public research university located in the state of Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university, the flagship campus of the University of Michigan, and one of the top public universities in the world...
in 1942. Twenty-four hours after receiving his doctorate he was inducted into the
United States ArmyThe United States Army is the branch of the United States Military responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military and is one of seven uniformed services...
, where he served as a psychologist in a variety of assignments for the
Army Air CorpsThe United States Army Air Corps was the predecessor of the U.S. Army Air Forces from 1926-41, which in turn was the forerunner of today's U.S. Air Force , established in 1947...
and the
Office of Strategic ServicesThe Office of Strategic Services was a United States intelligence agency formed during World War II. It was the wartime intelligence agency, and it was the predecessor of the Central Intelligence Agency .-Origins and activities:...
. After completing officer training he served in the U.S. Army Medical Corps.
Immediately after
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Bronfenbrenner worked briefly as Assistant Chief
Clinical PsychologistClinical psychology includes the scientific study and application of psychology for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development...
for Administration and Research for the Veterans' Administration, before beginning his work as Assistant Professor in Psychology at the University of Michigan. In 1948, he accepted a professorship in Human Development, Family Studies and Psychology at
Cornell UniversityCornell University is a private university located in Ithaca, New York, USA, that is a member of the Ivy League.Cornell counts more than 255,000 living alumni, 28 Rhodes Scholars and 41 Nobel laureates affiliated with the university as faculty or students...
. In the late 1960s to early 1970s, Bronfenbrenner served as a faculty-elected member of Cornell's
Board of TrusteesTrustee is a legal term for a holder of property on behalf of a beneficiary. A trust can be set up either to benefit particular persons, or for any charitable purposes : typical examples are a will trust for the testator's children and family, a pension trust , and a charitable trust...
. At his death in 2005, Bronfenbrenner was the
Jacob Gould SchurmanJacob Gould Schurman , American educationist, was born at Freetown, Prince Edward Island of Dutch descent, his Loyalist ancestors having left New York in 1784....
Professor EmeritusEmeritus is an adjective that is used in the title of a retired professor, bishop, or other professional. Emerita is often used as the female equivalent, although avoided by purists, since phrases such as professor emerita are ungrammatical in Latin...
of Human Development and of Psychology in the
Cornell University College of Human EcologyThe New York State College of Human Ecology is a statutory college at Cornell University. The college is a unique compilation of studies on consumer science, nutrition, health economics, public policy, human development and textiles, each part of the discipline of human ecology.Students at the...
.
Ecological Systems Theory
Generally regarded as one of the world's leading scholars in the field of
developmental psychologyDevelopmental psychology, also known as human development, is the scientific study of systematic psychological changes that occur in human beings over the course of the life span. Originally concerned with infants and children, the field has expanded to include adolescence and adult development,...
, Bronfenbrenner's primary contribution was his
Ecological Systems TheoryEcological Systems Theory, also called Development in Context or Human Ecology theory, specifies four types of nested environmental systems, with bi-directional influences within and between the systems.- Overview :...
, in which he delineated four types of nested systems. He called these the
microsystem (such as the family or classroom); the
mesosystem (which is two microsystems in interaction); the
exosystem (external environments which indirectly influence development, e.g., parental workplace); and the
macrosystem (the larger socio-cultural context). He later added a fifth system, called the
Chronosystem (the evolution of the external systems over time). Each system contains roles, norms and rules that can powerfully shape development.
Family
Bronfenbrenner had six children:
Kate BronfenbrennerKate Bronfenbrenner is the Director of Labor Education Research at the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University...
, is the Director of Labor Education Research at the
Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor RelationsThe New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations is a industrial relations school located in Ithaca, New York, USA, at Cornell University, a private university and member of the Ivy League...
. Mary Bronfenbrenner teaches German in the Ithaca Public School system. Michael Bronfenbrenner lives in
Seal Beach, CaliforniaSeal Beach is a city in Orange County, California. As of 2000, its population was 24,157. The city was incorporated on 25 October, 1915.Seal Beach is located in the westernmost corner of Orange County. To the northwest, just across the border with Los Angeles County, lies the city of Long Beach and...
, and works as a video artist/professional. Steven Bronfenbrenner directs an arts administration company in
San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco is the fourth most populous city in California and the 12th most populous city in the United States, with a 2008 estimated population of 808,976. It is the eighth most densely populated city in the U.S. and is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the larger San...
. Beth Soll, who resides in
New York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States, and the center of the New York metropolitan area, which is among the most populous urban areas in the world. A leading global city, New York exerts a powerful influence over worldwide commerce, finance, culture, fashion and entertainment...
, is a choreographer, dancer, and writer. She directed the Dance Program at MIT from 1977-1997 and now teaches at
Columbia UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. Columbia's main campus lies in the Morningside Heights neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, in New York City...
and
Manhattanville CollegeManhattanville College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, located in Purchase, New York, USA. Founded in 1841 it was known in initially as Manhattanville College of the Sacred Heart...
. Ann Stambler is a psychiatric social worker in
Newton, MassachusettsNewton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2000 census, the population of Newton was 83,829, making it the tenth largest city in the state.-Villages:...
.
Awards
- The James McKeen Catell Award from the American Psychological Society
- The American Psychological Association
The American Psychological Association is a professional organization representing psychologists in the U.S., with around 150,000 members and an annual budget of around $70m...
renamed its "Lifetime Contribution to Developmental Psychology in the Service of Science and Society" as "The Bronfenbrenner Award."
- Chair, 1970 White House Conference on Children
Publications
- 1972. Two Worlds of Childhood. Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. It is one of the four largest English language publishers, alongside Random House, Penguin, and HarperCollins...
. ISBN 0-671-21238-9
- Two Worlds of Childhood: US and USSR. Penguin (paperback, 1975). ISBN 0-14-081104-4
- 1973. Influencing Human Development. Holt, R & W. ISBN 0-03-089176-0
- 1975. Influences on Human Development. Holt, R & W. ISBN 0-03-089413-1
- 1979. The Ecology of Human Development: Experiments by Nature and Design. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
Harvard University Press is a publishing house, a division of Harvard University, that is highly respected in academic publishing. It was established on January 13, 1913. In 2005, it published 220 new titles. It is a member of the Association of American University Presses . The current director...
. ISBN 0-674-22457-4
- 1981. On Making Human Beings Human. Sage Publications Inc. ISBN 0-7619-2rengthening Programmes of Early Childhood Development in the Third World. with R. Myers Routledge
Routledge has been a long-standing and respected name in British and academic publishing, both as a publishing house under a succession of company names and latterly as an academic imprint. Its origins may be traced back to the 19th-century London bookseller George Routledge, who issued his first...
. ISBN 0-415-07307-3
- 1996. The State of Americans: This Generation and the Next. New York: Free Press
Free Press is an American publisher and imprint of Simon & Schuster that has been in business for over fifty years. It was headquartered in Glencoe, Illinois, until mid-1960s, where it was known as The Free Press of Glencoe. It was purchased by Macmillan in 1961. Well known for publishing serious...
. ISBN 0-684-82336-5. Lony Tunes
External links