The relation of childhood imaginary companions to adult creativity and personality profile

This study was designed to learn about the relationship between having an imaginary friend during childhood and subsequent adult creativity. The sample for this investigation consisted of 41 female, young, adult students enrolled at a small liberal arts college in Pennsylvania. Twenty-one participants in this sample had imaginary companions as children and 20 did not. The design was consistent with the mixed methodology format. All 41 participants were administered the quantitative portion of the study which involved participation in two measures including the Imaginary Friends Questionnaire (Hurlock & Burstein, 1932) and the Khatena-Torrance Creative Perception Inventory (KTCPI) (1976). The KTCPI consists of two measures, What Kind of Person Are You? (WKOPAY?) and Something About Myself (SAM). The quantitative data were analyzed using independent t tests to evaluate the difference between the means of the two independent groups. The 21 participants who had imaginary companions as children completed the qualitative portion of the study consisting of a semi-structured personal interview. The qualitative data were analyzed and coded with respect to emergent themes. Adults who had imaginary friends as children are more creative in some specific ways, based on the findings of the KTCPI, in comparison to those adults who did not have imaginary friends as children. Significant differences were reported for the Factor of Disciplined Imagination and the Creative Perception Index on the WKOPAY? as well as for the Intellectuality Factor on the SAM. A trend toward significance on the Artistry Factor of the SAM was noted as well. Qualitative results indicated that the phenomenon usually occurs in early childhood for the primary purpose of companionship. While the experience was positive for the majority of participants, some reported that the experience may have limited their interaction with real playmates and that occasional negative reactions from significant persons in their lives were upsetting. For those working with young children, the findings can increase understanding of developmental tasks of childhood, as well as the opportunity to nurture creative potential in young children. Imaginary friendships are a positive aspect of normal child development. Several areas that merit additional investigation were identified.