ICs

I was really excited when Alison brought Calvin and Hobbes into lecture on Monday. I had a little moment in class when I remembered how sad I was when I realized that Hobbes wasn’t actually a real tiger, and that only Calvin could interact with him. I don’t remember having an imaginary friend myself, or really having a pretend identity (beyond the occasional Werewolf over Halloween), but I read as much Calvin and Hobbes as I could when I was younger. It was mentioned during the lecture how kids may use ICs to test the waters in certain situations, like when something has been broken, but I think that they could have a lot more benefits then just being a fall-guy. Just like our orienting abilities that we discussed earlier this term, I think that as adults we take our inner voice and our familiarity with it for granted. I know that when I wake up in the morning and part of me wants to stay warm, and the other part knows I need to go to class or work, that these aren’t two different people inside my head. I’m comfortable with the idea that I can have multiple desires and essentially a conversation with myself as I decide which one is the most appropriate to act on. It wouldn’t be surprising to me if children simply ascribe these dissenting voices to actual characters. It may even seem strange to them that we as adults don’t manage our various thoughts and desires in the same manner.
Children also may not understand the distinction we make and the value we place on real as opposed to imaginary things and actions. We have had years to come around to the idea that only our interactions in the real world can actually change our position in it, but this may not be so easily understood by children. Imaginary friends may provide as much support and much needed interaction as real friends and family do. It may be why they so readily they admit that their friends are only in their heads and that they made them up. It seems strange to us since we’ve come to the conclusion that we have better things to invest our energy in, but they may not see what the big deal is.