Psychology- Why do people rock, or cradle themselfs? Abnormal?

Question

In my child psych/dev class we learned that someone might rock or cradle themself for confort and that it is not normal behavior for someone to do. My question is why. Why is it not normal? I will admit i have been diagnosed with depression and quit therapy because of cash issuses with my parents. But I think i finnaly started feeling better after i quit therapy. But I DO rock when I cry too hard and I can't really help it, i do think its conforting on some level. But why is this unnormal behavior?

Answer 1

I think that rocking is comforting, and that it could relate back to being rocked as a child. I also think that rocking when you are upset or maybe in deep thought is normal. On the other hand, in my line of work, I have seen a ocd,schizophrenic, rock himself for hours. Maybe, if you have no other underlying mental health issues, it should be considered as normal behavior.

Answer 2

Your right to have suspicions about why it isn't normal in fact it is perfectly normal.
When a young child is distressed a mother will often rock them it is a soothing feeling for the child and helps distract them from their fears everything is embedded into our brains whether we remember it or not and our subconscious will make us do strange things which seem pointless at times but that is not the case, read the case of Anna O if you want to learn more about the subconscious but our brain recalls that feeling and prompts the body to do that to help calm it and deal with the situation.
It is not abnormal it is our mind helping calm us people may think it is abnormal because people don't see it often (thats not to say its strange to do) rocking often happens in very very mentally distressed situations (something not many people witness but it is very much out there) it is often seen in autistic children and people with other mental illnesses, things that cause the brain to be put under a lot of stress.
Trust me its nothing more than natural

Answer 3

I won't answer the 'why' part of your question. I will respond and say to go hug the person sincerely, warmly, when you see the person rocking or cradling himself. It's the human thing to do.

Perhaps you need a hug too, from time to time. We all do. I do. And no amount of e-icon hugs will do either. If you could do this, you might even ask your parents for them. It's as simple as that. Yet, much of real life is 'soap opera', comedy sitcom or crappy indirect behavior.

Answer 4

I think rocking is a comfort thing like when our mums use to do it to us when we were little I don't see anything abnormal about it.I also enjoy a back yard swing when I'm angry it has a calming effect,what is wrong with that?

Now if I went out on a shooting spree to feel better that would be abnormal

Answer 5

i craddle myself but if i stand up i find my self rocking i cant stop it.