  We present a review of the pseudo-SU(3) shell model and its application to
heavy deformed nuclei. The model have been applied to describe the low energy
spectra, B(E2) and B(M1) values. A systematic study of each part of the
interaction within the Hamiltonian was carried out. The study leads us to a
consistent method of choosing the parameters in the model. A systematic
application of the model for a sequence of rare earth nuclei demonstrates that
an overarching symmetry can be used to predict the onset of deformation as
manifested through low-lying collective bands.The scheme utilizes an
overarching sp(4,R) algebraic framework.
