Autonepiophilia: History, Psychology, and the Cultural Evolution of an Often-Misunderstood Fetish

Autonepiophilia is a psychological and sexual interest in behaving, dressing, or imagining oneself as an infant or very young child. Unlike other paraphilic interests that involve relational dynamics, autonepiophilia is self-directed: the individual adopts a regressed role themselves. It is a subset of autosexual regression, where arousal, comfort, or emotional release emerges from occupying a younger internal identity.

While often sensationalized or misrepresented, autonepiophilia has a long, complex intellectual history. Its contemporary manifestations—such as adult baby roleplay, regression rituals, and adult baby/diaper communities—are only the most visible forms of a much older psychological phenomenon rooted in developmental theory, psychoanalysis, and subcultural queer histories.

Origins in Early Psychology and Psychoanalysis

The conceptual roots of autonepiophilia trace back to early 20th-century psychoanalytic theories of regression, particularly those of:

• Sigmund Freud, who described regression as a return to earlier developmental stages under stress or desire;

• Sandor Ferenczi, who explored the idea of “infantile helplessness” and the eroticization of vulnerability;

• D.W. Winnicott, who emphasized the healing function of “going-on-being” and the transitional space of childhood play.

These theorists never used the term autonepiophilia, but they created the vocabulary through which later psychologists understood regressive desires. Their work suggested that reverting to earlier developmental states could offer:

• feelings of safety,

• a symbolic return to early nurturing environments,

• relief from social expectations,

• or a structured way to explore vulnerability.

It wasn’t until the late 20th century that autonepiophilia was described specifically as a fetishistic or paraphilic configuration.

John Money and the Formal Naming of Autonepiophilia

The term autonepiophilia was introduced by the psychologist John Money in the 1980s, during his research on paraphilic classifications. Money observed a subset of individuals whose erotic or emotional interest was not directed toward children, but rather toward being the childlike figure themselves.

Money positioned autonepiophilia as the “auto-directed counterpart” to something he called nepiophilia, clarifying an important distinction:

Autonepiophilia does not involve minors; it involves adults fantasizing about themselves as minors.

He described several recurring themes in reported cases:

• regression rituals,

• infantilizing clothing or props,

• a desire for caretaking,

• symbolic surrender of responsibility,

• and emotional catharsis through vulnerability.

Money’s intention was clinical classification, yet his framework shaped decades of discourse within psychology and sexuality studies.

Influence of Queer and Fetish Subcultures

During the 1980s–2000s, autonepiophilia intersected with emerging kink communities, particularly within:

• queer leather culture,

• BDSM practices emphasizing power exchange,

• age-play dynamics,

• and fetish subcultures exploring objectification and surrender.

Autonepiophilia became recognized as one form of age regression or age play, but distinct in that the arousal and emotional focus remained self-contained, rather than dependent on a partner taking a complementary role.

Fetish and kink scholars note that autonepiophilia often functions as:

• a symbolic escape from adult pressures,

• a ritualized form of vulnerability,

• a way of embodying softness or innocence that adulthood suppresses,

• or a method of processing trauma through controlled, consensual regression.

Historically, queer spaces offered the first communities where regressive or infantilized self-presentation could be expressed without moral condemnation.

Autonepiophilia vs. Age Play vs. Regression

While overlapping, these terms describe distinct experiences: Autonepiophilia Self-directed erotic or emotional arousal from imagining oneself as a very young child.

Age Play A broader role-play practice that may include consensual adult dynamics (e.g., caregiver/child roles), without necessarily involving autonepiophilic desire.

Non-Erotic Regression A coping or self-soothing behavior where adults feel comfort imagining themselves at younger developmental stages, without sexual meaning.

Researchers stress that autonepiophilia is not synonymous with predatory behavior. It is an inward-turning paraphilic interest, not an outward-directed one.

Contemporary Interpretations: Psychology, Culture, Identity

Today, autonepiophilia is understood across several frameworks:

1. Psychological Regression

Many individuals describe the experience as emotionally restorative—similar to entering a protected mental state.

2. Fetishistic Practice

Some engage with autonepiophilia through clothing, diapers, or ritualized role settings, where the materiality of objects becomes part of the regression.

3. Queer Identity Exploration

For some queer and trans individuals, regression can offer:

• relief from gendered expectations,

• exploration of non-adult embodiment,

• or access to parts of childhood they were denied.

4. Trauma Reprocessing

In some therapeutic contexts, carefully structured regression is seen as a way of confronting early vulnerabilities or unmet needs.

5. Subcultural Community

Online communities—from early forums to modern platforms—have created shared spaces where regression fantasies can be explored consensually and non-judgmentally.

Cultural Misunderstanding and Media Controversy

Autonepiophilia is often misinterpreted by mainstream culture due to:

• confusion between regression and attraction to minors,

• sensationalist media portrayals,

• and stigma toward fetish identities in general.

Scholars emphasize the need for precision: autonepiophilia is adult-only, based on self-identity, and must always be practiced within the boundaries of consent, legality, and psychological care.

A Long, Quiet History of Human Regression

Autonepiophilia may appear modern, but regressive rituals have existed across cultures for centuries:

• monastic practices of “becoming like children,”

• ancient rites of symbolic rebirth,

• theatrical traditions involving infantilization,

• and initiation ceremonies involving vulnerability and submission.

The contemporary fetish is just one iteration of a human need to occasionally return to symbolic beginnings. Autonepiophilia, therefore, is not simply a fetish—it is a language of regression, renewal, and identity that sits at the crossroads of psychology, culture, and desire.