Empirical research on fantasy proneness and its correlates 2000–2018: A meta-analysis.

Abstract

We reviewed articles that appeared between 2000 and 2018 and that addressed fantasy proneness as measured by the Creative Experiences Questionnaire (CEQ) or the Inventory of Childhood Memories and Imaginings (ICMI). We searched Google Scholar to identify relevant articles and used the Hunter–Schmidt method to meta-analyze the correlates of fantasy proneness. We identified 132 articles describing 139 samples that together included 24,007 research participants. Effect sizes were large (rs > .50) for hallucinatory experiences, magical ideation, perceptual aberration, dissociation, and excessive daydreaming. Contrary to the popular idea that childhood trauma is a prominent precursor of fantasy proneness, we found that the effect sizes for self-reported trauma were small, as was also the case for depression, anxiety, and memory illusions (rs < .30). Strides in this research area can be made when future studies move beyond the fantasy proneness-trauma link to test causal models regarding the antecedents of maladaptive fantasizing.

Varieties of Inner Speech and Creative Potential

“…Finally, a proneness to experience auditory hallucinations is a phenomenological property of inner speaking that could relate to creative potential in yet another manner. (Auditory) Hallucination proneness correlates positively with a tendency to have fantasy experiences (Crowe et al, 2011; Merckelbach et al, 2021; Merckelbach & van de Ven, 2001). Fantasy proneness, in turn, positively correlates with self-reported creative ability (Lack et al, 2003; Lynn & Rhue, 1986).…”

Traits and Distorted Symptom Presentation: a Scoping Review

“…A common self-report measure of fantasy proneness is the Creative Experiences Questionnaire (CEQ; . A recent meta-analysis showed that self-reported dissociative symptoms and CEQ scores are strongly correlated (r = 0.52; Merckelbach et al, 2021). Fantasy proneness comes close to the DSM-5 AMPD trait unusual beliefs and experiences, which is described as beliefs of unusual abilities (e.g., mind-reading, telekinesis), thought-action fusion, and unusual (e.g., hallucination-like) experiences of reality (APA, 2013;Krueger et al, 2012).…”

Reality shifting: psychological features of an emergent online daydreaming culture

“…Fantasy-prone individuals tend to be more highly hypnotizable than average and have vivid imaginal experiences, hence this trait may also be relevant to explain RS. A meta-analysis showed that this construct relates moderately to strongly with absorption, dissociation measures (which typically involve items measuring absorption), schizotypy (which is not necessarily pathological, e.g., Holt et al, 2020), and excessive daydreaming, but only weakly with depression and anxiety (Merkelbach et al, 2021). Terms such as "fantasies," "addicted to fantasizing," and "fantasy-prone personalities" have already been used to describe people with FP, whose spectrum ranges from healthy to pathological (Wilson and Barber, 1982).…”

“…Terms such as "fantasies," "addicted to fantasizing," and "fantasy-prone personalities" have already been used to describe people with FP, whose spectrum ranges from healthy to pathological (Wilson and Barber, 1982). Some studies have shown that the presence of FP is connected to the experience of parapsychological phenomena, the presence of paranormal beliefs, and to reports of various anomalous experiences (Bartholomew et al, 1991;Cardeña and Alvarado, 2014;Dasse et al, 2015;Merkelbach et al, 2021).…”