What does imaginary companion mean?

What does “imaginary companion” mean?

A good point to start understanding children’s experience with imaginary companions is to understand what the term means. The most popular definition, which is based on one of the very first few empirical research on imaginary companions state that a pretended companion is:   

“an invisible character, named and referred to in conversations with other persons or played with directly for a period of time, at least several months, having an air of reality for the child, but no apparent objective basis. This excludes that type of imaginary play in which an object is personified, or in which the child himself assumes the role of the person in the environment.” (Svendsen, 1943, p. 988 as cited in Klausen & Passman, 2007). 

Even though it is a generally accepted definition, many researchers disagreed on the exclusion of personified objects and role playing (where the child daily mimics, and for an extended period, a certain character) because of their similarity with imaginary companions, thus, they included them in their definitions, especially personified objects (E.g. J. Singer & Singer, 1981 as cited in Gleason, Sebanc, and Hartup, 2000).  

References

               

Gleason. T, Sebanc, A., & Hartup. W. (2000). Imaginary Companions of Preschool Children. Developmental Psychology, 36(4), 419-428. doi: 10,1037//0012-1649.36.4.419.

Klausen, E., Passman, R. (2007). Pretend Companions (imaginary Playmates): The Emergence of a  Field. The Journal of Genetic Psychology,167(4), 349-364. doi: 10.3200/GNTP.167.4.349-364.

Kid and imaginary friend. Retrieved on October 29, 2010, from: http://www.indiareport.com/resources/images/original/kid-ima-fnds.jpg

The difference between Imaginary friends and Personified objects

What is the difference between imaginary friends and personified objects?

Personified objects are tangible and could be seen by others. Creating a relationship with a personified object demands a degree of mental representation, but it does not have to be as complicated as that demanded to create an imaginary friend (Friedberg, 1995). An imaginary friend, in the sense that Svendsen meant, is not triggered by anything physical, (Masih 1978 as cited in Gleason, Sebanc, & Hartup, 2000) it is totally in the head of the child. In one study, mothers of children with personified objects reported examples of the type of objects children get attached to, such as a toy, a blanket, or even a purse. On the other hand, mothers of children with IFs described that invisible friends could be human, such as the people who play with the child, or non human, such as animals or characters from cartoons (Gleason, Sebanc, & Hartup, 2000).

References

Friedberg, R. (1995). Allegorical lives: Children and their imaginary companions. Child Study             Journal, 25(1), 1. Retrieved from: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=14&sid=0938cb53-9749-481c- b3dd8d122a7f1f0b%40sessionmgr14&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=957266733

Gleason. T, Sebanc, A., & Hartup. W. (2000). Imaginary Companions of Preschool Children.  Developmental Psychology, 36(4), 419-428. doi: 10,1037//0012-1649.36.4.419.

No name. retrieved on October 29, 2010, from:

            http://www.sodahead.com/fun/are-adults-with-imaginary-friends arestupid/question808827/?link=ibaf&imgurl=http://www.cartoonstock.com/lowres/dcr0794l.jpg&q=imaginary%2Bfriends%255C

Why do children create imaginary companions? Defense mechanisms and coping.

Children have different ways than adults in dealing with life traumas, such as childhood abuse, loss, and stresses (Klausen & Passman, 2007). Imaginary companions help children in coping because it allows them to think through imagination, where they can understand their negative feelings better through personification (as cited in Klausen & Passman, 2007). Therefore, imaginary companions could be understood in the context of psychoanalytic theories as a form of defense mechanisms that protect the child from developing psychological problems. It represents a sophisticated way in dealing with stresses that challenge children’s emotions and comprehension of the world (Friedberg, 1995).

References

Friedberg, R. (1995). Allegorical lives: Children and their imaginary companions. Child Study       Journal, 25(1), 1. Retrieved from: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=14&sid=0938cb53-9749-481c-b3dd-            8d122a7f1f0b%40sessionmgr14&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=950            7266733

Klausen, E., Passman, R. (2007). Pretend Companions (imaginary Playmates): The Emergence of a Field.  The Journal of Genetic Psychology,167(4), 349-364. doi: 10.3200/GNTP. 167.4.349-364.

Still life. Retrieved on October 29, 2010, from: http://fc04.deviantart.net/fs29/f/2008/126/a/3/imaginary_friends_by_oki_oki.jpg

Why do children create imaginary friends? Internal conflicts and compensations.

Children create imaginary companions as a way of expressing internal conflicts. The creation of imaginary companions also reflects the child’s efforts of trying to control his/her environment (Friedberg, 1995). Imaginary companions are also found to compensate for things that are missing in the child’s life, such as family members (Ames & Learned, 1946; as cited in Gleason, 2002), loneliness, fragility, deficits, and low sense of competence (Harter & Chao, 1992 as cited in Coetzee & Shute, 2003). Another psychoanalytic perspective sees imaginary companionship as a mean to accomplish wish fulfillment (e.g. Green, 1922; as cited in Klausen & Passman, 2007).

References

Coetzee, H., & Shute, R. (2003). I Run Faster Than Him Because I Have Faster Shoes Perception of Competence And Gender Role Stereotyping In Children’s Imaginary Friends. Child Study Journal, 33(4), 257- 272. Retrieved from: http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=search.displayRecord&id=8363084B-ED29-75E8-      028C-23FF6A8D7572&resultID=1&page=1&dbTab=all

Friedberg, R. (1995). Allegorical lives: Children and their imaginary companions. Child Study Journal, 25(1), 1. Retrieved from: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=14&sid=0938cb53-9749-481c-   b3dd8d122a7f1f0b%40sessionmgr14&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=957266733

Gleason, T. (2002). Social Provisions of Real and Imaginary Relationships in Early Childhood. Developmental Psychology, 38(6), 979-992. doi: 10.1037//0012-1649.38.6.979.  

Klausen, E., Passman, R. (2007). Pretend Companions (imaginary Playmates): The Emergence      of a Field. The Journal of Genetic Psychology,167(4), 349-364. doi: 10.3200/GNTP.          167.4.349-364.

How to use an imaginary friend to help you. Retrieved on October 29, 2010, from:  http://www.google.com.lb/imgres?imgurl=http://www.thenewmanofaction.com/wp-content/imaginary_friend.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.thenewmanofaction.com/2009/06/hat-no-one-will-tell-you-create-an-imaginary-friend-for-success/&usg=__CdkXW3qvdT5EYNDgIY3TlIyHV_0=&h=268&w=324&sz=27&hl=en&start=66&zoom=1&itbs=1&tbnid=EXTocq7h9pagcM:&tbnh=98&tbnw=118&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dimaginary%2Bfriends%255C%26start%3D60%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26tbs%3Disch:1

Imaginary companions: where fantasies and realities meet

Imaginary companionship has been thought of as the children’s inability to differentiate between reality and pretense due to their strong imagination, which leads to confusing reality with pretence within their memories (Norsworthy & Whitley, 1918/1933; as cited in Friedberg, 1995). But later research disagreed with this belief by proving that children with imaginary companions were able to engage in pretended play without mixing reality with fantasy (Taylor, Cartwright, & Carlson, 1993 as cited Gleason, 2000). In fact, imaginary companionship is the point where fantasy and reality meet, where children demonstrate their perception of reality through their imaginary companions (Bouldin & Partt, 2001, as cited in Klausen & Passman, 2007).

References

Friedberg, R. (1995). Allegorical lives: Children and their imaginary companions. Child Study Journal, 25(1), 1. Retrieved from: http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?vid=4&hid=14&sid=0938cb53-9749-481c-b3dd-8d122a7f1f0b%40sessionmgr14&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=aph&AN=957266733

Gleason, T. (2002). Social Provisions of Real and Imaginary Relationships in Early Childhood. Developmental Psychology, 38(6), 979-992. doi: 10.1037//0012-1649.38.6.979.

Klausen, E., Passman, R. (2007). Pretend Companions (imaginary Playmates): The Emergence of a Field. The Journal of Genetic Psychology,167(4), 349-364. doi: 10.3200/GNTP. 167.4.349-364.

Imaginary friend invitation. Retrieved on October 29, 2010. From: http://www.google.com.lb/imgres?imgurl=http://www.cartoonstock.com/newscartoons/cartoonists/bst/lowres/bstn221l.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/i/imaginary_play.asp&usg=__y6nOKnTZs_99F7ialSzCRtVUx94=&h=400&w=313&sz=30&hl=en&start=5&zoom=1&itbs=1&tbnid=4Cym8mGQBaIj7M:&tbnh=124&tbnw=97&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dimaginary%2Bfriends%255C%26hl%3Den%26gbv%3D2%26tbs%3Disch:1