In his previous work on the ego-feeling, the subjective experience of the ego-functions, Federn shewed that it is a sensation or feeling, and that ego-feeling may be bodily or mental, active or passive, complete or partial. He supposes it to be the primary narcissistic cathexis of the ego.

He compares dream states with those of estrangement and depersonalization, and shews that ego-feeling is lacking in both. Correct ego-consciousness is always present in the dream, but a personal feeling exists only for the mental processes, the body being ignored in most cases. This involves dissociation of ego-functions. The mental ego-feeling is usually passive in dreams. In a patient's somnambulistic dream the body-ego-feeling was very vivid and was felt as a burden opposing the intended action, which was one ordained by the super-ego. The same thing occurs in inhibition dreams, but there the limb to be moved