This book grew out of Rena Moses-Hrushovski's residence at Austen Riggs, along with her discussions with Anne-Marie and Joseph Sandler. In it the author describes a group of patients who are essentially narcissistic and who have a specific form of self-organization that she terms “deployment.” This deployment mode of functioning is designed to ward off unbearable tensions arising from feelings of envy, depression, shame, guilt, and humiliation.

The patients she describes present themselves as belligerent, possessing an ongoing list of complaints. They feel victimized and embattled and show a stubbornness and a resolute determination to hold onto their misery. These patterns are designed to increase self-esteem as well as afford a greater sense of being in control.

Moses-Hrushovski coins the term “deployment” to highlight how certain patients deploy psychic energy in the way a “general deploys his