Imaginary friend

For other uses, see Imaginary Friend.

Imaginary friends, also known as “imaginary companions”, are pretend characters often created by children. Imaginary friends often function as tutelaries (or perform a tutelary function) when they are engaged by the child in play activity. Imaginary friends may exist for the child into adolescence and sometimes adulthood. Imaginary friends often have elaborate personalities and behaviors. Although they may seem very real to their creators, studies have shown that children understand that their imaginary friends are not real.

Medical and philosophical aspects

The development of imaginary friends by a person does not alone necessarily signify a problem or disorder. According to the DSM-IV, imaginary friends are classified as a psychological disorder only if they interfere with everyday social interactions. It could possibly be a solution to feeling lonely.

According to some theories of psychology, an understanding of a child's conversations with their imaginary friends can reveal a lot about the anxieties and fears of that child as well as the child's aspirations and perception of the world. Some children report that their "imaginary friends" manifest themselves physically, and are indistinguishable from "real" people.

Purposes

People may invent imaginary friends for companionship, as part of play, or for other reasons. Imaginary friends can serve as an important source of companionship to some children and adults. As an example, clinical psychologists have reported that young children in boarding schools often develop imaginary friends to cope with extreme stress and separation from their family.

According to some psychological theories, children often use their imaginary friends as outlets for expressing desires which they would normally be afraid to engage in or for which they would normally be punished. Proponents of these theories state that it is not uncommon for a child to engage in mischief or wrong-doing and then to blame the crime on their imaginary friend, allowing the child to act out fantasies that they are otherwise restricted from experiencing due to societal constraints. Similarly, psychologists report that children often give their imaginary friends personality traits that they themselves lack and make their imaginary friends into ideal versions of themselves: shy children often describe their imaginary friends as playful and outgoing jokesters who are always making them laugh and who are very popular.

A long-time popular misconception holds that most children dismiss or forget the imaginary friend once they begin school and acquire 'real' friends. Some psychologists have suggested that children simply retain but stop speaking about imaginary friends, due to adult expectations and peer pressure. Some children report creating or maintaining imaginary friends as preteens or teenagers , and a very few adults report having imaginary friends. [1] [2] [3]

In an interview published on Beliefnet, Richard Dawkins suggested God was an imaginary friend: "Wouldn't it be lovely to believe in an imaginary friend who listens to your thoughts, listens to your prayers, comforts you, consoles you, gives you life after death, can give you advice? Of course it's satisfying, if you can believe it."

Examples from popular culture

• Jesus Christ from The Bible
• Koosi, Dee-Dee's imaginary friend from Dexter's laboratory
• Tony, Danny's imaginary friend (Stephen King's The Shining)
• Nanhe Jaisalmer
• Safea Ah, imaginary friend of SAH, also used by SAH as a psuedonym
• Aloysius Snuffleupagus
• Tyler Durden from the novel and film Fight Club
• Nadine, D. W.'s imaginary friend from Arthur
• Calvin and Hobbes
• Drop Dead Fred
• Don't Look Under The Bed
• "Dave", an episode of Lost
• Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (imaginary friends actually take on a real form and all can see them)
• Hide and Seek
• "Tuttle", an episode of M*A*S*H
• James of Late
• Captain Howdy, the white-faced demon from the film The Exorcist thought originally to be an imaginary friend.
• Plank, from Ed, Edd, n' Eddy
• Isabella, from an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Frank the bunny from Donnie Darko
• Wilson the Volleyball from the movie Cast Away
• Debbie Miller, imaginary friend of Meg Griffin
• Mr. USOS (Pan USOS)
• Mr. Hat and Mr. Twig from South Park
• In one episode from season three of Impian Illyana, Illyana pretend to have an imaginary friend to test his boyfriend, Izham.
• Harvey, from the theatrical play and film of that name. Harvey turns out to be a real, but mythic creature, a pooka.
• Jack Flack, the secret agent from the 1984 film Cloak & Dagger
• Gummy, bubble buddy, and mini squid from Sponge Bob Squarepants.
• Bugus, from Bogus (film)
• Ninja Ninja, from the animation Afro Samurai.
• Rachel Cohen, Lisa Simpson's Jewish imaginary friend from The Simpsons.
• "Bogey" (a manifestation of Humphrey Bogart) from Woody Allen's play and movie, Play it Again, Sam.

External links

• A British account of an imaginary friend