In the oral stage the infant is in a state of motor impotence, which deprives him of a specific pleasure and constitutes a narcissistic injury. With the advent of the anal stage the infant finds an object which he can dominate—the stool. Whereas in the oral stage he introjects those parts of his environment which are invested with libido, like the breast, in the anal stage he opposes the object and acquires his autonomy toward it by rejecting it. This position of mastery represents the origin of the feeling of security.

The author investigates genetically the relationship between anality and sense of reality and feels that anal drives alone cannot bring about a full, complete development of the sense of reality. In order to reach its optimum development, a well-established genital organization is also indispensable.