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.

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