Notes on Some Imaginary Companions

Imaginary Companions and Young Children's Coping and Competence

“…The hierarchical relationships we studied were those of children whose ICs were likely subordinate to the child. The consistency in these findings suggests that hierarchical relationships with ICs might be a function of children's attempts to enhance feelings of efficacy-an idea suggested in clinical studies as well (Bach, 1971;Nagera, 1969).…”

“…First, some literature suggests that ICs are created as a way of coping with social deficits or emotional problems. Children's ICs are purported to help manage stress and anxiety (Bach, ; Shavel‐Jessop & Segal, ), compensate for real or perceived disabilities (Bender & Vogel, ), or provide a missing relationship (Benson & Pryor, ). However, these studies are mostly clinical cases (Benson & Pryor, ; Nagera, ).…”

“…As in the literature on coping, references to children's use of ICs in relation to competence are found in both clinical case studies and quantitative research comparing children with and without ICs (Bach, ; Bach, Chang, & Berk, ; Benson & Pryor, ; Coetzee & Shute, ). The findings are somewhat mixed.…”

Imaginary companions in adolescence: sign of a deficient or positive development?

“…In no case, however, was this the reason for referral. In childhood, imaginary companions may appear, for example, when the mother is pregnant or gives birth to a sibling (Benson and Pryor, 1973), during the absence of the mother due to frequent hospitalization (Myers, 1979), when a mother, a father or another care-giver dies (Bach, 1971;Benson, 1980), when parents divorce, or when a friend is lost (Nagera, 1969). From these case studies, the most comprehensive collection of which is provided by Nagera (1969), we may conclude that feelings of loneliness, neglect, and rejection motivate the child to create an imaginary companion.…”

The psychopathology of everyday names

“…A child's use of the family's nursery term for faeces, 'Doodoo', to describe an imaginary companion that was part self (Bach. 1971) might be a way of commemorating (i.e.…”