Therapeutic Benefits of Adult Doll Play

Abstract

This study explored the episodic memories and therapeutic benefits associated with adult doll play. Forty adult collectors described a significant interaction they had with their dolls and interpreted the meaning of the episode. They rated both their narratives and interpretations on 7-point scales. They then completed four questionnaires reflecting on their motivations for joining the doll hobby, the aesthetic and therapeutic aspects of doll play, as well as play and fantasy and self-perception questionnaires developed in an earlier study. Principal components factor analyses were performed on all scales and questionnaires, and the factors were correlated. In addition, the narratives and interpretations were coded and thematically analyzed. Results show that attachment forms with imagined and situated characters during the customization and story making process. Attachment and bonding was critical in creating meaning and rituals within the ball-jointed doll hobby. Implications for the clinical field and AI mediated devices were discussed.

Openness to Experience Mediates the Relation Between Fantasy Proneness and Creative Thinking

“…Fantasy is a central component of many leisure activities, ranging from intense engagement with favourite TV shows, movie series, or video games, to doll collecting, to participating in historic re-enactments or amateur theatre productions. These activities require a sustained commitment of time as well as cognitive and emotional resources, and provide a sense of community and shared meaning for many participants (Dill-Shackelford & Vinney, 2020; Dreschke, 2019; Ignacio & Cupchik, 2021). Nonetheless, fantasy proneness, or the tendency to become deeply involved in fantasy (Wilson & Barber, 1982) and its potential relations with everyday cognitive functioning have rarely been studied.…”