ABSTRACT
A large part of the content of the ego is not conscious, and large parts of the superego are not conscious at all. So instead of dividing the mind into a system of 'the unconscious' and a system of 'consciousness' we are now dividing it into id, ego, and superego, in which the quality of consciousness or unconsciousness varies. The id, then, has to create its link with the environment. This link, which is gradually created by modifying part of the original chaotic structure, will then be what we call the 'ego'. The first function the child develops in this respect—we might say the first important ego function—is a distinction between sensations from inside and perceptions from outside; the term we use for that in psychoanalysis is that child has learned to 'test reality'. A further, highly important acquisition of that young ego is the establishment of a communication between various parts.
