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College

Seattle University

Major

B.A Psychology, minor in Communications and Media

Faculty Mentor

Kira Mauseth

Faculty Editor

Meg Blattner

Student Editor

Penny Pak

Abstract

This literary review examines the developmental, clinical, and cultural dimensions of imaginary companions (ICs) to understand how they function across different contexts. By bringing together findings from developmental psychology and cross-cultural research, it considers how ICs shape emotional growth across the lifespan. In early childhood, ICs often reflect a child’s creative engagement with emotion, imagination, and early social growth. They provide a safe space for children to express their feelings, explore relationships, and develop emotional understanding. ICs can often serve more complex roles in response to trauma, shifting from playful imagination to coping mechanisms that offer comfort or protection when consistent support is absent. Among neurodivergent individuals, ICs may serve sustained regulatory and social functions that differ from normative developmental trajectories. Western psychiatric frameworks tend to evaluate IC-like experiences through impairment-based criteria, yet such standards do not always account for cultural meaning or emotional function; this interpretation is not universal. Cross-cultural and religious perspectives may validate how internal figures can be understood as intentional, meaningful, and non-pathological. Such views expand on what is considered healthy imagination by illustrating how culture and cognition intersect in shaping an individual’s understanding of emotions, relationships, and experiences. When ICs persist into adulthood, their presence can blur the boundary between resilience and psychological concern. Cross-cultural, religious, and developmental perspectives highlight the need to interpret ICs within their context rather than relying on fixed diagnostic criteria. This review concludes by exploring how these influences clarify the boundary between imaginative coping and clinical concern.

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