Imagination? Or psychosis?

I agree entirely! I don't see why "growing up" means "giving up your child hood". I played barbies all the time as a kid and knew that it was all pretend and that they weren't real. Sometimes I'd pretend my toys were real but there it is: pretend. I knew it wasn't real and I still do.

I "hear" my girls sometimes and I know it's simply me making up the personalities I have created for them. And no matter how "real" they seem sometimes, I still know it's pretend.

I need to add to my post:
Recently my grail doll fell off my bed. After I put her head cap and wig back on I ranted "at" her about wanting to fly or having a death wish. When I sat her down next to her sister, she seemed to look jealous of the new doll. I'm looking at this, thinking about my dolls feelings, and realizing that I'm "doing it again", if you will.

It seems that even though I know my dolls are simply dolls I act and treat them as if they're alive. Is that psychotic? I don't really think so. In the end, I know that my actions, thoughts, and words are all based on my imagination and me pretending that my dolls are being one way or another. When I'm done playing with them I put them away and forget about them until next time. (Unless I have an idea for a photostory, then I'm planning it out. )

 

I don't really know where this psychosis starts. I tend the think it would start when it affects a person's ability to function normally with other people. People have given inanimate objects, like religious icons, a status of being real and in a sense that is seen as normal. But when it comes to objects like dolls or similar, it's seen as not being normal.

Can't really give an answer here. People are imaginative creatures whether for good or ill. This is a great topic.

 

The idea of dolls having "souls" is a very very old one. (recalling some Japanese folk stories I read when I was a small kid)

I think where the line between "imagination" and "lost grip on reality" is where 1) it's not fun for the person anymore (scared silly) or 2) starting to get in the way of living a normal life. (like buying things for a doll before taking care of the needs of a living being).

I think that some of the "anthropomorphizing" that many people with dolls is because we do project so much of ourselves on to them, but most of the time it's not a problem, not a mental illness, and not an issue.

Even if the doll characters take on a Mythic level, there's still rarely the "gone off too dangerous territory" in it. (at least that I've seen)
Human anthropomorphize I think it's just a part of how we're wired.

I talk to my cats too... at least the cats can respond to me. (not in English though, and I think maybe I'm grateful sometimes for that.)

middle of the night:
insistent Meow (usually the girl cat)
me: what honey?
cat: MEOW
me: it's 2 am, can I sleep a little longer? You have a full dish, I filled it before I went to bed.
cat: MEOW
me: for heaven's sake do you actually NEED something?
cat MEOWW
other cat: Chirrrp?
both cats bounce off my head and start chasing each other...

I think everyone with cats has done that at least occasionally. (and I DO recognize the "OMG! something is horribly wrong!" Meow because, unfortunately, I've heard it a few times before... once when I was very sick and once when there was an early morning earthquake, I slept through the quake but not the freaked out cat. )

dolls don't do that. thank heavens.

 

Well put. It actually is a pretty common phenomemon to have something trigger something else in your brain; that's why odors are such a powerful thing. It's well documented over hundreds of years that a sudden whiff of something with a connection for you can put you right back where you were when the connection was created (figuratively speaking, of course).

I really don't see why connections can't exist in the same way with respect to something you've put time and effort into, and care a lot about, if you're the type of person who creates characters for your dolls.

***********
On a different note:

It bothers me that we keep flogging ourselves over this question ("we" being a HUGE generality here, don't think I'm unaware of that). As well as the entire gamut of "is it OK to..." discussions. I've been watching the same questions come up since 2006 and can't get over how frequently they are asked. Are we really that insecure as a group, or are we just trying to come up with better ways to say these things?

I mean, I surely don't need anyone to reassure me that I'm allowed to have fun things (although I do occasionally need to be reassured that I don't have too MANY fun things, but that's a different issue ). After all, I'm a grownup, at least chronologically speaking, and I earned fun. But even much younger people who have just gotten into the hobby deserve to have fun, too, don't they?

It's not as though there's a great amorphous Dolly Police out there somewhere waiting to lock us all up. We're not any crazier than any other hobby group. Heavens. When history has once again rolled back to a place where some miniscule percentage of the world's population controls almost all of its wealth and the rest of us get to scramble for the crumbs, at least we should be allowed to use our crumbs for what makes us happy without second guessing ourselves to death.

--- Note: I'm not making light of the question, because I realize it is a legitimate concern for some. I personally am crazy as a loon, but the dolls are not the cause. It just bothers me to see us being so judgmental toward ourselves sometimes.

 

I was told once that the difference between insanity and indulgence is if you don't realize that, in this instance, your doll's voice in your head isn't actually you. You're insane if you don't get the reality. I liked the analogy of talking to your cats. I have running conversations with my dogs, cats, horses, chickens when I am out with them. I've never worried about it. I also talk to my dolls in the same way. "Let's change your wig sweety", etc. They all have distinct personalities, names, relationships to each other, and for me most of the time that happens as soon as I see them. I am a creative person, I write, I draw, I read. For me there is nothing odd in this. A few years ago I was involved in a conversation similar to this with one of my friends and they said, "oh, so the dolls are your creative outlet". And there it was. I am a single mother who works fulltime, goes to college, and has a small farm. I rarely ever get to pursue my art or creative writing anymore. The dolls fill that spot nicely. They also satisfy my artistic interests for obdvious reasons. I was attracted to them because they reminded me of my anime obsession and I can customize them until they match the vision in my head. I think the line between imagination and psychosis is pretty obdvious. Especially when you are sane LOL. I think only the sane question their sanity. I'm sure the insane are totally sure they aren't crazy, it's just the rest of us LOL.

 

Hmmmm I forsee this thread being promptly shut down. Whenever someone brings up the topic of dolls having souls and such, the discussion always seems to meander toward the religious realm where people seem extra sensitive about their beleifs because they have to be 'RIGHT' and as such, the thread ends up being closed by the Mods! lets see how much more heated this gets and when it finally gets shut down!

As for being crazy, maybe we all have a bit of that in all of us! our dolls must look at us and have a good laugh at our expense.

 

It is a legitimate question in this thread, I think. This questioning of ourselves, all this judgement, all the "Is it ok...?" might be a consequence of all of us being suspected of suffering from some kind of "insanity", no matter how sensibly we actually handle our hobby. What if the distrust brought towards people with "weird hobbies" from those outside said hobbies makes us, or at least a part of us, a bit insecure about ourselves? Friends, family, strangers like to shout "crazy!" at doll collectors sometimes, and maybe that is why we begin questioning everything about us and the hobby. Not to reassure each other, not as a comfort - but simply as a reality check. Maybe we want to hear from people who are NOT judgemental on our hobby generally if we are still "sane"?

Actually, I haven't seen much heated discussion in this thread so far, just calm stating of opinions and such. Maybe you could bring in some controversial topics

I agree ^^ Everybody has a little bit of "crazy" in them. Psychosis is an extreme on the spectrum of perception and behaviour, and we are all somewhere on the continuum. I am sure the ones who believe in dolls being able to laugh are already hearing them do so at our discussion here

 

I told a pesky brat on the bus that my doll was a spirit vessel for pesky passer-throughs because he was being really mean to me. But I don't think my dolls are alive or that anything possesses them to make them alive.

I guess I'd feel bad if I didn't talk to my dolls because I mean, I dress them and I take their hair off and move their eyes around and stuff. They're not alive, but that's still pretty invasive! Haha.

If someone opened up my head and moved my eyes and then made me hold still for 45 minutes+ so they could take pictures of me...well, they better have nice things to say to me, to! LOL!

Also...maybe I should add.
I do the same to flowers and trees and stuff too. I think it's just being thankful to my Muses in general. I'm not just talking to an inanimate doll, I'm having a conversation with the Powers that help me be creative, the spirits that help me make art. Muses. I do believe in them. They're not people, either. So it makes sense that I can just "talk" to them.

It's not that they're people, but making pretend that they are is easier on me. That way I don't feel silly for talking out loud when I go out to get pictures.

 

This is sort of a touchy subject but I believe that there are times my dolls are really alive.

Of course my logical side of me that knows that it's a doll, and it will always be, but I get this hopeful wish that somehow they are alive and watching.

 

It's simple. While a psychosis might be the term used here it is usually used to refer to a symptom of a larger mental disorder. Disorder = no order, in other words does not function normally. So while it is not easy to diagnose a psychosis, a disorder is easy.

Ask yourself these questions.
Has my imagination or internal dialogue affected my life negatively?
Can I function normally without my dolls?
Do my dolls or internal dialogue cause me distress?

If you answered "no, yes, no" to the questions then what you have is just a personality quirk, and any psychiatrist worth their salt will tell you you're fine. So you have a quirk, you are a functional happy human being. Enjoy.

 

psych student here!

I was one of those people who believed my doll could have a soul. I don't think that gives me any kind of psychosis. My dolls dont talk to me. I don't expect them to, either. When you're having conversations with your dolls and are hearing voices in your head, that's when it's time to call a doctor

 

I hear voices in my head. all the time XD And i know i'm not crazy i'm from a long line of mediums. As for dolls...I do believe there are spirits looking for vessels all the time and the doll is perfect. Some of my dolls are very much with their own spirit but some are just...plastic. Nothing alive about them.
Doll voices...Yes i heard them once or twice in few years that i owned them..very rare and from the same doll. Feelings and energy however are very different. Perhaps dolls can't move or speak but most of the time i know what they are feeling. Its weird and strange but they have such pity emotions...just like us.
Thats why i no longer force a character on a doll...it always have it's own idea of everything XD 30 or so dolls in...yeah. They are the most random bunch ever ^^

 

Originally when I started to hang out with the doll crowd around my town I was a bit worried hearing them carry on a conversation with their dolls. I had never been in the habit of anthropomorphizing my Barbies growing up, the cat yes, but most of my toys, no. I didn't really get the concept until I had my first doll, and that is when it really made sense to me. I am a very creative person who doesn't have a lot of time to actually be creative(sewing, crafting, etc.) and the doll was an immediate way to get gratification, I can have a creative "discussion" with her with in a minute and feel like I've done something "creative" without having to schedule a huge block of time around a project. I know that it weirds some people out, but I try to be discreet in public. My dolls have picked up traits, my first doll is prissy, she can't go out of the house not wearing underwear, my second doll refuses to wear certain colors and my newest girl is still emerging. Whether these are reflections of my own personality is yet to be seen or proven.

 

I believe that ones Aura can be absorbed by inanimate objects, as to say, like your room feels normal to you because it has your aura or vibe or whatever you wish to call it. Dolls are no different, not to say they become their own person, at the point I'd leave the hobby probably o_o but certain dolls that you touch more or focus on more start to take on that Aura you give off at the type, which is why I believe each doll has their own "personality" kinda, it also lets people know your dolls are yours and their dolls are theirs, etc etc. ^.^

 

We can voluntarily choose to believe things that are not true without being psychotic. I am only truly psychotic if the question: "Am I psychotic?" is not on my mind when I try to understand my experiences. --> And those experiences include losing touch with reality, --> but I don't know that. Or can't accept that. Psychosis would go beyond my beliefs about my dolls. Psychosis would affect my ability to function to a much greater degree.

Creative people walk in and out of their imaginations quite a bit.

True psychosis generally has a physical cause. Like bi-polar which is frequently associated with creativity and inventiveness OR schizophrenia ~with symptoms that are controlled by medication that balances that part of the brain which has been affected. Or Huntington's disease and others like that, brain tumors, drugs, sometimes alcohol use. A belief in your dolls isn't going to be affected by medical treatment, won't show up on an MRI, and won't follow a predictable path to the extent that certain diseases will.

I realize these examples are different, but still, we live according to our imaginations in many ways. Like, she is really "NOT all that"...haaa I might have an imagined illness, or live according to fears about the future that only exist in my imagination.
~ or, I'm really not as fat as I think I am when I look in the mirror...I am believing something false when I won't wear certain pants because I believe I look fat in them. That doesn't mean I have to face the grave issues of true anorexia. Believing my dolls have feelings is a lot less serious than believing the man I live with is a great guy and that he beats me because I make him...

People with great creativity will be able to live according to their imagination-created beliefs more easily than others. Less imaginative people might be quicker to raise the question of psychosis, by their standards, sooner than people who exercise their imaginations with more depth and commitment.

 

The line between mental instability and play is a very fine one. and it all boils down to one question: can you separate the fantasy (that the doll is a person), from the reality (that the doll is a personalized object)? You don't have to give up the fantasy, only be aware of it.

Assigning the doll a personality isn't unhealthy or even unusual. We all name our toys as children, and assign personalities to them. This is part of play. (It would be downright worrying if we *didn't*.) The vast majority of doll owners are merely adults who continue to play. And there's nothing wrong with that. Some people play sports or chess, and we play with dolls.

 

Do I think that, inherently speaking, dolls have spirits? No. Just as many have said, I don't believe that dolls are anymore alive than the bed I'm sitting on now or the desk that I do my homework on.
That said, I do give my dolls "personalities". Do I hear them talk? No. It's just a projection, no big deal at all. (:

On a similar note... I DO believe in ghosts (which I don't /think/ makes me crazy? xD), and I do believe it's possible for a ghost to possess, so to speak, an inanimate object. Right? That's something they teach in horror films. xD
So, to that end, I think that's a possibility.

 

My best friend hears voices and she isn't psychotic. She creates characters for her books and they will actually talk to her. It isn't an uncommon thing, most people just don't talk about it due to fear of being labeled crazy. I believe that when she gets her dolls eventually they will start talking to her as well.

There is nothing wrong with having a conversation with your doll and having it talk back to you as long as your doll doesn't suddenly tell you to go murder innocent members of society.

 

I am a LGSW in clinical Social work and have my licenses to practice and I have to disagree with part of what u said. I think that it depends on the functionality of the person. I mean just because u hear voices or talk to your dolls often does not mean u need to see a doctor. I have always been able to hear my characters but that doesn't make me crazy or psychotic it just means I am creative but there is a fine line and again its all about functionality and if it is harming the person in anyway. But I do agree that if its impairing function in normal life then yup see a doctor.

 

in my case it IS a psychosis.

I suffer from personification, which is giving an identity and personality to objects, numbers and letters .
When I for example, see a piece of coral, I see an identity, complete with emotions, dreams, fears and a background story.
I write books ( hope to publish one day ) and most of my characters are based on everyday objects I see.
( main characters in my latest book are based on porcelain and ink, for example )

So, an object that actually looks like a human, like a BJD, triggers my personification in a very strong way. That does not mean I believe they're alive though! But, it makes me hard to understand why some just see them as plastic and nothing more.