Imaginary Friends (and Snugglies) Lecture PDF

8/22/24 Lecture 8: Imaginary Friends (and Snugglies) Imaginary Companions Professor Rachel...

8/22/24 Lecture 8: Imaginary Friends (and Snugglies) Imaginary Companions Professor Rachel Zajac office: 413 William James Building phone: 479 3988 email: [email protected] 1 2 “An invisible character named and referred to in conversation 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 apparently objective basis.” Svensdon, 1934 3 4 Demographic Data Demographic Data Up to 65% of preschool children have Up to 65% of preschool children have imaginary friends imaginary friends ICs tend to be slightly more common in girls than boys The average age of appearance of an IC is between 2 and 4 years First born children are more likely to have an IC Most children do not play with their ICs when other children are present 5 6 1  8/22/24 Historical Views Historical Views Little was known about ICs prior to the 20th Little was known about ICs prior to the 20th century century – Childhood was not seen as a period of play and – Childhood was not seen as a period of play and exploration exploration – ICs may have been described in spiritual or – ICs may have been described in spiritual or religious terms religious terms It wasn’t until the late 1800s that ICs emerged in the psychological literature From the 1930s, parents were informed that ICs were not to be encouraged 7 8 Historical Views Historical Views Dr Spock Dr Spock one th is Not 9 10 Historical Views Characteristics of ICs Dr Spock Marjorie Taylor – Urged parents to supply more “hugging and piggy-back rides” – If ICs persisted after age 4, parents were told to consult a mental health professional to “find out what is lacking” 11 12 2  8/22/24 Characteristics of ICs Barbara Tall Thunder Boys Marjorie Taylor Little Chop Bla-Bla Examined ICs of 3- to 12-year-old children The Most ICs are children Jellia Butcher’s Shop Guy Around 16% of ICs are based on real people Many ICs have magical powers or unusual Nothing physical traits Steel Dinosaur IC animals can usually talk Not all ICs are friendly – around 3% are Bazooie enemies Fetiss Pigsty 13 14 Why Do Children Develop ICs? Some proposals: ICs act as scapegoats or protectors 15 16 Why Do Children Develop ICs? Some proposals: ICs act as scapegoats or protectors ICs help children to overcome fears or anxieties ICs are intermediate steps to controlling one’s own behaviour ICs are developed as a surrogate for real friends/playmates/siblings 17 18 3  8/22/24 Why Do Children Develop ICs? The Problem of Parental Report è Overall, most of the evidence supports a Not generally a reliable compensatory theory of IC development source of information è For the majority of children, ICs provide Large discrepancies found fun and companionship between parent and child accounts of ICs Parents don’t know many details Parents might be good at supplying information that child omits 19 20 Why Do People Worry? 21 22 Why Do People Worry? Historically, ICs were viewed as a personality deficit (e.g., Multiple Personality Disorder) – Based on case studies – Failure to compare with children who did not have ICs – Recruited children who had behavioural and emotional problems 23 24 4  8/22/24 but… Social and Cognitive Ability When non-clinical populations have been studied: There is some evidence that children with ICs: – Children with ICs do not differ on a wide range of Are better at communicating with adults behavioural problems (Manosevitz et al., 1973) – No difference in shyness or ability to make friends Score more highly on verbal tests (Taylor, 1999) – Having an IC may have positive effects Have a more developed theory of mind at age 4 (Taylor & Carlson, 1997) 25 26 Social and Cognitive Ability Social and Cognitive Ability There are no firmly established links between There are no firmly established links between ICs and: ICs and: IQ IQ Creativity Creativity 27 28 ICs and Reality Differentiation “Many a time I have interviewed a Sometimes it is assumed that a child who is child about their IC – the child absorbed in a fantasy about an IC is out of observes as I listen carefully and touch with reality – that somehow the line has become blurred write down whatever is said. Then at some point in the interview, the Evidence for (Bouldin & Pratt, 2001) child is very likely to pause, look me Evidence against (Taylor, Cartright, & in the eye and say Carlson, 1993) “You know it’s just pretend.” 29 30 5  8/22/24 What Happens to ICs? “I know that Big Bird’s not real. Not spoken about Replaced by a new IC It’s just a costume. Child acquires more real friends Child loses interest Inside, there’s just a plain bird.” Parents take control Gradually vanish 31 32 Some Imaginary Companion Trivia… 33 34 Young children may develop attachments to a variety of Attachment Objects special inanimate objects, including soft toys and blankets. These are often referred to as attachment objects. 35 36 6  8/22/24 37 38 Mark Nixon: “Much Loved” series 39 40 41 42 7  8/22/24 How Common is Object Attachment? Why Do Children Develop AOs? Proposals include: Mahalski (1983) Attachment objects as transitional objects New Zealand sample Attachment objects as easing the passage between sleep and waking Assessed between the ages of 1.5 (90%) and 7 (43%) years Object attachment peak around 2 years 43 44 Why Do Children Develop AOs? Proposals include: Attachment objects as transitional objects Attachment objects as easing the passage between sleep and waking Attachment objects as substitutes for a primary caregiver in some situations è There is some evidence for all of these claims 45 46 Advantages of AOs Conclusions Attachment objects can be seen as positive in Overall, there is no evidence to support the that they: claim that children with imaginary companions or object attachments mature Reduce distress (Ybarra et al., 2000) or develop differently to children without them Facilitate exploration (Passman & Weisberg, 1975) è While these things may constitute a part of healthy development, there is no …in the same way as having a non-involved evidence to suggest that they are a parent present necessary part of healthy development 47 48 8