The ego of the oral stage, in the opinion of the author, occurs after an earlier (prenatal) ego state with its own unique characteristics: there is, for the ego, 'an existence forerunning oral experience'. There is an early 'looking' having to do with internal plastic images that constitute the substratum of the primary process. This 'interior looking' is best expressed in dreams: 'to dream is the remnant of primitive prenatal psychical activity'. At birth, perception by the ego splits into perception of inner and of outer objects. The ego is now forced to find outer, real objects onto which to project the inner, phylogenetically derived image or concept.