Those imaginary friends always are putting me up to no good, that's what I tell the officers when they pull me over! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I don't think the cause for it is as important as the opportunity for it has been taken advantage of!
Imagination though, i beg to ask. ''Is it a phenomena of social environment, genetic, or maybe even just psychology could answer for this mind-behaviour which is next to being a hallucination of sorts?''
Imagination is something that comes from your own thoughts. You develop an imagination when there's a chance to make up things that will allow you to be happy when there's nothing else around to do so.
Imagination is something some people just are born with. Sometimes it can be induced, I believe, when something happens to someone that causes their imagination to suddenly appear within them. This could be drugs or medical reasons or even a family thing.
As a child, how is an imaginary friend any different than me sitting down to tea with my Raggedy Ann doll and having a full blown conversation? I kissed her good night every night. Is that a sign of mental illness in a child?
Mental illness, no of course not, mental instability sure! Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
No, their just not getting enough from their spouses/partners. Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image!
I don't think there's a big difference. After all, we teach children to believe in imaginary people like Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy. And as I said, most of them grow up to continue believing in--and talking to--imaginary people like Jesus. What's the frelling difference?
I agree, In my opinion the difference is social perception. For the majority, a person who claims that God talks to him or works through him, is seen as a "true believer" and is respected as such. You take the same person, strip all of the cultural/spiritual bullshit away and look at it through a psychology perception, and you get a David Berkowitz, who talks to the neighbor's dog. No difference between the two people psychogologically, one killed, the others manipulate. *Fraggle, I am suprise you did not mention the most famous of comic strip imaginary friends, Calvin and Hobbes Please Register or Log in to view the hidden image! *Here is an article about imaginary friends and imagination http://www.sciencenews.org/articles/20050326/bob8.asp Of what I can see, is this Marjorie Taylor from the University of Oregon is an expert with this stuff. If anyone can find more studies from her it would be greatly appreciated.
I have no recollection whatever of my two imaginary childhood friends. I had no recollection when my mother told me, perhaps when I was eight or nine [she died when I was ten] that I had had two such friends when very young. I was evidently fascinated by this information, for I still remember that she told me that their names had been Moomin and Garkha. I believe having imaginary friends when a young child is a very common phenomena and in no way unhealthy or abnormal. Some of you who don't think you did may simply have forgotten. The current state of the poll indicates an unusual degree of deprivation in imaginary childhood friendship!
one of my imaginary friends was a neon colored ball with mantis arms. i ran away from him with becuase he was sooo ewww. :jump:
I don't have an imaginary friend, but I speak to myself and have conversations with myself as if it's really taking place with someone else. I've done this ever since I was a child and still do this day. Sometimes it'll be quiet, and I'd actually respond out loud to what was asked/said to me in my head.
my so has an imaginery friend, and its cute because he is just a child, we have to set a place at the table for him, and he plays with him, but thats ok because like i said he's a child, if an adult did it you would think its pretty strange. But its not a "Drop Dead Fred" situation. I didnt have one, (not that i can remember anyway)
