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