Imaginary Friend

Imaginary friends, also called pretend friends, invisible friends or made-up friends, are a psychological and social phenomenon in which a friendship or other interpersonal relationship takes place in a child's imagination rather than physical reality; although an imaginary friend may seem real to the child who created it, children usually understand that the friend is not actually real. The first studies focused specifically on imaginary friends are believed to date to the 1890s, though research on the concept in children's imaginations remains limited. According to a review by Klausen and Passman in 2007, imaginary companions were originally described as supernatural creatures or spirits thought to connect people to their past lives, and historically adults have had entities such as household gods, guardian angels and muses that functioned as imaginary companions providing comfort, guidance and creative inspiration; the phenomenon may have become more common among children specifically in the mid-19th century, once childhood came to be emphasized as an important time for play and imagination.