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Perrotti first isolates within the ego a system of functions which he classifies as the autoconscious or superior ego, characterized by autoconsciousness (consciousness of the present, control of perception, synthesis, capacity for abstract thinking, logic, control of reality); active vigilance (attention, ability to reflect, activation of the psychic apparatus, stimulation toward the resolution of conflicts); and outlook for the future (anticipation, preparation for action). Depersonalization, according to the author, is basically dependent upon a transversal cleavage between the autoconscious ego and the rest of the ego which is in direct contact with internal and external reality, the superior ego sensing the change which has taken place in the other parts of the personality and the ego. As to the place in the development of the ego in which changes responsible for depersonalization occur, Perrotti believes that this can be fixed in the transitional period between Melanie Klein's paranoid-schizoid position and the depressive position. This view explains why mild cases of depersonalization can be completely confused with phases of reactive depression while, at the other end of the spectrum are those cases of depersonalization attended by a serious disorganization of the personality.