In psychoanalytic practice we struggle constantly with the difference between idealized technique and what actually occurs between real patients and real psychoanalysts. This is particularly true for patients who fall outside the traditional realm of neurosis and neurotic character. Although a source of confusion and controversy, the understanding and treatment of these "widening scope" patients has also been a stimulus for clinical innovation and theory-building. In The Misuse of Persons Stanley Coen identifies a group of patients prone to engage in unproductive analyses, a group diagnostically between neurotic character, narcissistic character, and borderline disorder. He discusses the treatment of these patients in a way that is both realistic and helpful. One measure of a clinical book is the degree to which the reader discovers new and useful perspectives on patients in treatment. I found myself thinking