The author reviews the history of social work beginning in 1890, particularly the casework aspects, and examines its changing ties from sociology to psychoanalysis since 1930. The focus on individual conflict began to be seen as the precursor of change in life adaptation. Casework particularly incorporated the discovery of the unconscious, the multidetermination of behavioral patterns from the dynamic past, an emphasis on both childhood and adult sexuality, and a treatment model from psychoanalysis. Yet the focus on libido theory in analytic technique led to many distortions in the practice of casework;