Does Social Work Need the Eco-Systems Perspective? Part 1. Is the Perspective Clinically Useful?

This is the first part of a two-part article in which I analyze the arguments for the ecosystems perspective. In Part 1, I consider four arguments for the clinical usefulness of the perspective: (1) it helps the clinician to identify circular causal connections, or "transactions," between persons and environments; (2) it helps in formulating a comprehensive assessment; (3) it integrates other social work theories; and (4) it corrects clinical biases toward individualistic therapeutic intervention. A close examination of these arguments demonstrates that they are invalid and that the claimed clinical usefulness of the perspective is an illusion. The clinical benefits can, in fact, come only from the use of substantive, domain-specific theories.