Imaginary Friends: Healthy?
Most people associate imaginary friends with issues of socialization. But an article published in February 2010 called “Imaginary Friends: Why pretend playmates are good for children’s development” would agree otherwise. Studies have shown that imaginary friends are beneficial for boosting language and social skills. It’s also helpful in areas of creativity. Kids become abstract thinkers when they have to play both roles, themselves and their friend. “Seen as a way to deal with loneliness, stress, or conflict, imaginary friends had a bad rep for most of the 20th century” (Turgeon 2010).
Jumping into a theoretical analysis, Jean-Francois Lyotard (1979), would describe this as postmodern thinking. Scientist, doctors, etc. are moving away from 20th century thinking of “social problems” and more towards positive aspects of imaginary friends. “Postmodernity arises with the collapse of the grand narrative of the Englihtenment” ( Lyotard pg. 465). Meaning, realities are only socially constructed and are subject to change inherent to time and place. We are moving away from negative connotations of imaginary friends and questioning other aspects of it.
When Turgeon explains that children with imaginary friends are enhancing abstract thinking, she also states that “An elaborate fantasy world is like a test lab for some of the most important childhood skills” (2010). I believe that theorists Jean Baudrillard (983) might try to bring back arguments of fulfillment and say that “to simulate is to feign to have what one hasn’t” (pg. 480), meaning that kids have imaginary friends to fulfill what they don’t have. Baudrillard would say that imaginary friends are part of a play of illusions and phantasms to represent something that is a real, a friendship.
So, with that being said, I would take post-modern perspective on this and question the real meaning of imaginary friends. Is it truly healthy for a child or are they trying to replace something they wish they had like Baudrillard would suggest? Were only children of certain ethnicity, age, etc. examined for this study? Questions can go on and on about this idea of imaginary friends. But like Lyotard says ” nothing is sacred, everything is up for critique”.
Jean Baudrillard- “Simulacra and Simulations: Disneyland” (1983)
Jean-Francois Lyotard- “The Postmodern Condition” (1979)
