ABSTRACT
Studies of the imaginary companions of preschool children are widely scattered in the developmental and psychoanalytic literature. This chapter explains why some children create pretend friends and others do not. It attempts to shed light on the role that imaginary companions play in children's lives and on the reasons why some children have these charming associates. The chapter begins by reviewing issues of definition and categorization. It reviews the correlates of having an imaginary companion. It examines the developmental significance of preschool children's imaginary companions. The developmental significance of imaginary companions has been obscured by the fact that relatively few investigators have set out to examine imaginary companions for their own sake.
