DOES SOCIAL-WORK NEED THE ECOSYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE .1. IS THE PERSPECTIVE CLINICALLY USEFUL

This is the first part of a two-part article in which I analyze the ar guments for the ecosystems perspective. In Part 1, I consider four arg uments for the clinical usefulness of the perspective: (1) it helps th e clinician to identify circular causal connections, or ''transactions ,'' between persons and environments; (2) it helps in formulating a co mprehensive 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 tha t they are invalid and that the claimed clinical usefulness of the per spective is an illusion. The clinical benefits can, in fact, come only from the use of substantive, domain-specific theories