Table of Contents

Preface
1: Introduction
2: What Are Imaginary Companions Like?
3: The Characteristics of Children Who Create Imaginary Companions
4: Why Do Children Create Imaginary Companions?
5: Do Children Think Their Imaginary Companions Are Real?
6: What Happens to the Imaginary Companions Created in Early Childhood?
7: Do Older Children and Adults Create Imaginary Companions?
8: Fantasy in the Lives of Children and Adults
Notes
References
Acknowledgments
Permissions
Index

About the Author

Marjorie Taylor is Professor of Psychology at the University of Oregon. She lives in Eugene, Oregon.

Reviews

"Engrossing reading for those whose children have invisible pals or who had them themselves, and for those interested in creativity and in how children develop conceptions of reality."--Booklist
"It's a lovely introduction into the fantasy life of a child."--Washington Post
"Meticulously researched and scholarly yet accessible...highly recommended for both academic and large public libraries."--Library Journal
"Engrossing reading for those whose children have invisible pals or who had them themselves, and for those interested in creativity and in how children develop conceptions of reality."--Booklist
"This is a book that seemingly answers every possible question and then some; putting the place that imaginary companions have in the lives of children of all ages into reassuring perspective."--ForeWord
"For the parent seeking reassurance, she provides a judicious review of a wide range of findings showing that children who create and sustain an imaginary companion are not suffering from any obvious clinical disorder. At the same time, for the disinterested reader, she describes many vivid specimens of the phenomenon and engages in enough conceptual analysis to show that this intriguing aspect of children's early fantasy raises fundamental questions about
human imagination." "Taylor successfully combines a century of research on the phenomenon with a sensitivity to some of those wider issues."--Paul L. Harris, Nature

"Engrossing reading for those whose children have invisible pals or who had them themselves, and for those interested in creativity and in how children develop conceptions of reality."--Booklist "It's a lovely introduction into the fantasy life of a child."--Washington Post "Meticulously researched and scholarly yet accessible...highly recommended for both academic and large public libraries."--Library Journal "Engrossing reading for those whose children have invisible pals or who had them themselves, and for those interested in creativity and in how children develop conceptions of reality."--Booklist "This is a book that seemingly answers every possible question and then some; putting the place that imaginary companions have in the lives of children of all ages into reassuring perspective."--ForeWord "For the parent seeking reassurance, she provides a judicious review of a wide range of findings showing that children who create and sustain an imaginary companion are not suffering from any obvious clinical disorder. At the same time, for the disinterested reader, she describes many vivid specimens of the phenomenon and engages in enough conceptual analysis to show that this intriguing aspect of children's early fantasy raises fundamental questions about human imagination." "Taylor successfully combines a century of research on the phenomenon with a sensitivity to some of those wider issues."--Paul L. Harris, Nature