RELATIONSHIP THESAURUS

IMAGINARY FRIEND AND CHILD



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HELPFUL TIP:

Relationships are part of the very fabric of your character’s life. How well or poorly they get along with others oftentimes comes down to personality, so carefully consider the positive traits and negative traits of your story’s cast. Another factor that can pull characters together or create friction is motivation, so keep each individual’s goal—both at the scene and story level—in mind as you write.
DESCRIPTION:
Up to sixty percent of children construct imaginary friends, either by assigning a personality and attributes to a stationary object (a stuffed animal, doll, action figure, etc.) or by creating an invisible companion from their imagination—a person, animal, or something else. Imaginary friends like these are a healthy source of entertainment, friendship, and support and will allow a child character to explore ideas, gain confidence and competency, and practice social interactions in a safe way.

However, for fictional purposes, the friend could also be a spiritual or ethereal entity that seems imaginary to others but is, in fact, real. In this case, the relationship will be largely defined by the motives and character of the entity.

RELATIONSHIP DYNAMICS:
Below are a wide range of dynamics that may accompany this relationship. Use the ideas that suit your story and work best for your characters to bring about and/or resolve the necessary conflict.

The child character caring for their imaginary friend in a parental or caregiving role
The child and imaginary character being on equal footing as friends
The imaginary friend acting as a protector for the child
The imaginary friend always being present
The imaginary friend only being present in specific situations
The child mistreating the imaginary friend through projecting their feelings or acting out abuse they've experienced
The child using the friend as a scapegoat to avoid consequences of their own actions
The imaginary friend working against the child (engaging in mischief so the child will take the blame, using the child to achieve nefarious purposes, brainwashing them, etc.)

CHALLENGES THAT COULD THREATEN THE STATUS QUO:
The child growing out of the need for the relationship
The child realizing that the friend is imaginary 
A caregiver pressuring the child to give up their imaginary friend
A protective friend being unable to safeguard the child from serious harm in real life
The imaginary friend prompting the child to do things that will get them into trouble
Social difficulties pushing the child deeper into the imaginary relationship, making it harder for them to develop real friendships
The child being made fun of for their imaginary relationship
A new imaginary friend entering the mix

WOUNDS THAT COULD FACTOR INTO THE RELATIONSHIP:
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POSSIBLE CONFLICT SCENARIOS:
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CONFLICTING DESIRES THAT CAN IMPAIR THE RELATIONSHIP:
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CLASHING PERSONALITY TRAIT COMBINATIONS:
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NEGATIVE OUTCOMES OF FRICTION:
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FICTIONAL SCENARIOS THAT COULD TURN THESE CHARACTERS INTO ALLIES:
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WAYS THIS RELATIONSHIP MAY LEAD TO POSITIVE GROWTH:
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THEMES AND SYMBOLS THAT CAN BE EXPLORED THROUGH THIS RELATIONSHIP:
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