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I have offered the hypotheses that repetitious and agitated self-rocking occur among infants with particular kinds of libidinal experiences, and that its specific aim is to re-establish body contact with the mother. These are hypotheses that can be tested by further observations. If correct, they would substantiate the suggestion of Anna Freud (9) that rocking is an autoerotic substitute
for satisfactions originally provided by the mother. I have also indicated that infants who rock stereotypically are likely to be hampered in the development of their object relations, and that the rocking of apparently normal infants may have serious pathological implications.