Imagination, Personality, and Imaginary Companions

Abstract

A sample of 102 college women completed a set of imagination and personality measures and reported whether they had ever had imaginary companions during childhood. Participants who reported imaginary companions scored higher than did those who did not on measures of imagination including imagery use, hostile daydreams, and vivid night dreams, and on personality scales including dependent interpersonal styles and internal-state awareness. Participant groups did not differ significantly on shyness, other interpersonal styles, or measures of self-concept. Comparison of these results with research on children and adolescents with imaginary companions suggests a coherent developmental pattern in social orientation characterized by sensitivity and accommodation to others' needs.

The Personality Correlates of Adults Who Had Imaginary Companions in Childhood

“…The first dimension we identified was the tendency to be absorbed in an active imaginative life (i.e., Absorption). There is evidence which supports the observation that children and adolescents who have imaginary companions and adults who have such memories engage in active imagining and play (Ames & Learned, 1946;Singer, 1961;Mauro, 1991;Seiffge-Krenke, 1997;Bouldin & Pratt, 1999;Gleason, et al, 2003;Roby & Kidd, 2008). The first hypothesis was that college students who reported memory of an imaginary companion would also have high scores.…”

An Analysis of Self: The Development and Assessment of a Measure of Selfobject Needs

“…Items in the HSNS include the following: -I can become entirely absorbed in thinking about my personal affairs, my health, my cares, or my relations with others.‖ In its initial validation study, Hendin & Cheek (1997) found that the HSNS demonstrated adequate internal consistency, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. Such research has found that the HSNS is correlated with neuroticism (Hendin & Cheek, 1997) an anxious attachment style (Besser & Priel, 2009) and shyness (Gleason, Jarudi, & Cheek, 2003). …”

Exploring the links between childhood imaginary companions and auditory hallucinations

“…CICs can have a range of functions such as fun and companionship, providing company, producing a sense of competence, communicating to others and coping with trauma (see Taylor, 1999, for review). There is more convincing evidence that children with CICs have an increased propensity to engage in fantasy, daydreams and vivid imagery (Gleason, Jarudi, & Cheek, 2003;Taylor et al, 2004) and that CICs frequently occur in the context of alleviating loneliness (Bouldin & Pratt, 1999;Taylor, 1999). A similar consensus of evidence points to their use in dealing with distressing emotions or resolving intrapsychic conflicts (Gleason et al, 2003;Taylor, 1999).…”