Which level includes broad cultural norms and institutions that shape a society?

• A. Macrosystem
• B. Microsystem
• C. Mesosystem
• D. Exosystem

Answer: (A)

In Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, the outermost level accounts for broad cultural norms and institutions that shape a society. This macrosystem includes values, laws, customs, and the overall economic and political climate that influence how people think and behave and that filter down to all the other levels. It explains how culture and society’s big-picture patterns shape individuals indirectly through the institutions and expectations they create. The immediate environments, like family or school, form the microsystem; connections between those immediate settings make up the mesosystem; settings that affect the person indirectly, such as a parent’s workplace or community resources, constitute the exosystem. Because the question is about broad cultural norms and institutions that shape a society, this outer, overarching level is the best fit.