Hollender would like to examine the wish to be held in its own right, not have it subsumed under the heading of 'oral'. The author interviewed twenty-seven paid volunteers and twenty-seven hospitalized patients. The first interview was self-administered with the subject following an outline and speaking into a tape recorder. The second and sometimes third interviews were carried out by the author in person. Excerpts are reported from these taped interviews. The distinction between a need and a wish is not made clear. Much psychoanalytic material dealing with narcissism, phobia, dreams of falling, etc., that could supplement this topic, is not mentioned.