Is the important concept of self, as elaborated by Hartmann, solely the synthesis of the id, ego, and superego, or do we not have to regard the self as quite distinct both in origin and function from the other psychic structures? An alternative conceptualization might define the self as the sum total of all transformations which are possible (i.e., realizable) functions of an early-formed invariant correlation of the various basic elements of the mental apparatus. This definition seems compatible with the observation that the self-experience includes all the past selves of one's life and not-yet-lived future. The early-formed invariant correlation refers to a separate, autonomous, organizing factor, definable as a primary identity—the equivalent of a third force beyond the instinctual drives and the impact of reality.