An Investigation of Imaginary Companions in an Ethnic and Grade Diverse Sample

Abstract

This investigation focused on the nature of imaginary companions (ICs) in 43 ethnically diverse, young school-age children (kindergarten, first, and second grade). We tested the hypotheses that our diverse sample would be able to describe their ICs in detail that is similar to rich descriptions of ICs found in samples of preschool-age, Caucasian children. Although we did not expect grade differences, we expected gender differences and explored differences by ethnicity. We also hypothesized that children with ICs would report greater tendencies to engage in overall fantasy play and that they would rate the importance of companionship with a real friend stronger than did children without an IC. The results supported the hypotheses that children in our sample would have ICs and be able to describe them in rich detail. The analyses revealed no grade or gender differences in having a companion, but did suggest that there may be subtle differences in the ICs of different ethnic groups that require further exploration. Finally, children with an IC did appear to have a greater fantasy orientation than children without an IC which suggests that the presence of ICs are an important part of children's lives from a wide range of backgrounds.