Based on 28 years of research into the problem of resistance, this book offers a consistently developed set of hypotheses centering around the concept of the "fantasy bond," an illusion of connection originally formed with the mother and later with significant others in the individual's environment. The book develops the concept of the core defense of the "fantasy bond" and describes the structure and organization of the overall defensive process.

The ideas set forth in this work constitute an important link between neo-psychoanalytic thought and existential views, especially those relating to individual and collective defenses against death anxiety.