Eco-Systems Theory posits that:

• A. The environment and the person influence each other
• B. The person is separate from the environment
• C. The environment completely determines the person
• D. Social systems are irrelevant

Answer: (C)

Bidirectional influence between the person and their environment is the main idea. Eco-Systems Theory holds that individuals are shaped by and, in turn, shape their multiple social contexts—family, peers, school, workplace, community, culture—through interactions across time. This reciprocal, layered influence means changes in the environment affect the person, and the person’s actions influence those environments.

Options that imply one-way causal flow don’t fit the theory. Saying the person is separate from the environment ignores the interactive, interconnected nature. Saying the environment completely determines the person is too deterministic and dismisses personal agency. Saying social systems are irrelevant contradicts the theory’s emphasis on multiple social contexts shaping development and behavior.