RJA #2: Imaginary Friends

• I would love to research on the existence of imaginary friends. Imaginary friends are usually made up to help children cope with stress in their life. It usually takes place in early childhood years. I would like to find out if this is part of a normal development or if it is a common problem and why. What type of child normally develop imaginary friends? Could imaginary friends be paranormal beings? Do children believe they actually have imaginary friends? I would also like to know how to respond to a child who thinks they may have an imaginary friend.
• I do know that imaginary friends are known to be typical of an only child or an eldest child. What i would like to find out is if the child feels lonely when they start imagining a friend. Could it be possible that imaginary friends are just an excuse for attention? I believe that with this research, i could find out what the best argument is; I will use that argument in my paper. I have came across kids with imaginary friends before and a lot the time the kids have developed behavorial problems and blamed their actions on their imaginary friends. My arguement now is: it's used for attention but that could potentially change once i have researched the topic more in depth.
• I would love to know what imaginary friends do for kids. How long does an imaginary friend stay around? I would also like to know if the behavorial problems that develop stick around once the imaginary friend is gone. I would also love to find out if i had an imaginary friend when i was younger; by knowing this it may help me in my research when finding a case to argue.