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