“How Am I Supposed to Act?”: Adapting Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory to Understand the Developmental Impacts of Multiple Forms of Violence

Abstract

Experiences of and exposures to violence impact older adolescents and young adults in a myriad of ways. While typically conceptualized as interpersonal, other forms of violence, namely, structural and symbolic, can be harmful to development for this population. This study utilized qualitative methodologies, including ethnographic field notes and interviews, to capture the ways in which 12 young persons aged 16 to 20 from Philadelphia experience and conceptualize multiple forms of violence across neighborhood contexts. In total, 85 interviews and over 100 hours of field observations were conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis. Findings from this study demonstrate that multiple forms of violence are experienced and impact how young adults make meaning of their life experiences. Importantly, our study explores how these forms of violence occur in tandem across contexts. Whereby, aspects of young adult development and well-being are shaped by violence across the micro, meso, and macro systems with which they interact. Implications of this work include adapting Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory to include multiple forms of violence so that practitioners and researchers can better understand how forms of violence are enacted and the associated impacts on young adults.