I Had One. Didn't you?

It is so prevalent that 65% of children have had one by the time they've reached seven.Imaginary friends, that is. This according to a new study by University of Washington and University of Oregon psychologists.

"This finding is fascinating in that it goes against so many theories of middle childhood, such as those proposed by Sigmund Freud and Jean Piaget. Having an imaginary companion is normal for school-age children," said Stephanie Carlson, a UW assistant psychology professor.

Marjorie Taylor, a psychology professor at the University of Oregon, and Carlson are the lead authors of the study published in the current issue of the journal Developmental Psychology

Imaginary companions described by the children came in a fantastic variety of guises, including invisible boys and girls, a squirrel, a panther, a dog, a seven-inch-tall elephant and a "100-year-old" G.I. Joe doll. While 52% of the imaginary companions that preschoolers played with were based on props such as special toys, 67% of those created by school-age children were invisible, according to Carlson.

The study also showed that:

* While preschool girls were more likely to have an imaginary companion, by age 7 boys were just as likely as girls to have one.

* 27 percent of the children described an imaginary friend that their parents did not know about.

* 57 percent of the imaginary companions of school-age youngsters were humans and 41 percent were animals. One companion was a human capable of transforming herself into any animal the child wanted.

* Not all imaginary companions are friendly. A number were quite uncontrollable and some were a nuisance.

I had my own imaginary friend, Jennifer Fields, from about the age of 5 until 7, when we moved away from where I decided she lived. She was invisible to everyone but me and I liked it that way. In a house full of people, it was good to have something that was all mine. Physically I based her on a painting, Girl with Watering Can, by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. I sang songs with her (we spent a lot of time on the swing set out back, singing to the moon) and she held my hand when I had nightmares. And that makes me normal.


When we moved, I was overcome with a fear of bigfoot that stayed with me until my twenties. I'll save that for another time. I'm not sure what that makes me.