The imaginary audience refers to a psychological state in which a person imagines or believes that large numbers of people are watching or listening to them, even when that is not the case. It is one of the mental constructs in the psychologist David Elkind's account of adolescent egocentrism, alongside the related construct of the personal fable, and although it is described as an experience typical of early adolescent development, people of any age may harbor the fantasy of an imaginary audience.
Facts
Core ClaimThe imaginary audience refers to a psychological state where an individual imagines or believes that multitudes of people are listening to or watching them 1 First Described Year Classification
Type of PhenomenonDevelopmental Phenomenon 1 Connections
Sources
1. Imaginary audience, Wikipedia
Lead section, paragraph 1
The imaginary audience refers to a psychological state where an individual imagines or believes that multitudes of people are listening to or watching them.
Early history section
David Elkind coined the term "imaginary audience" in 1967.
lead section, phenomenon-kind classification
It is one of the mental constructs in David Elkind's idea of adolescent egocentrism (along with the personal fable).
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