Folklore Commons^™

Never Alone: A "Look" At Imaginal Companions, Mary Koegel

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

American culture tends to consider imaginary friends (or imaginal companions, as I refer to them) as a folk belief belonging in the realm of childhood. If an adult believes in imaginal companions, they are potentially subject to the social stigma of psychological labeling. The mass media reflects this perception of reality and influences social interactions regarding experiences and beliefs in imaginal companions. Fear of this social stigma limits folk group size, which potentially creates an issue with informant group size. I gathered my informants from a group of friends, whom I interviewed over a one-year period. Although there is a …