Comparing Bronfenbrenner's Elsewhere And Into The Wild

The context that individuals are placed in has an immense effect on their development trajectory, and can ultimately alter who they become as adults. The systems within Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological systems theory reflect that there is a connection between all of the environments that affect our lives, whether one has control of them or not. In Elsewhere and Into the Wild, readers explore the contexts that Richard Russo and Chris McCandless grew up in and see the detrimental and supportive effects that these contexts have on them. Although Russo faired better due to higher levels of resilience, the two were deeply affected by the emotional stress that their parents imposed on them. Intervention programs could have affected the manner in which these two individuals developed and could have made their developmental outcomes greater, all while making the entire developmental process easier. This phenomenon goes to show that although one …show more content…
Chris believed that he needed to explore his life and escape the constraints of society to be able to truly live his life, as he defined it. McCandless simply could not accept the world he lived in and wanted to change it. He felt that he had been wronged by those closest to him, and could not understand why they had treated him so unjustly. He also could not fathom human desire for material possession, and the lack of motivation to obtain proper ideals. He focused on the attainment of purity, beauty, and joy, and felt like nature captured all that he wished for. Chris wanted to escape the life of the suburbs and wanted to escape the expectations that were set for him. Unfortunately, in our current society, the decisions that Chris made are not ones that everyone can afford to make, or even have the opportunity to make. Due to the world that his parents built for him, Chris was able to obtain a