Psychology related to dolls

BJD hobby as an analogy to maternal instincts? That sounds Freudian to me. While it could be true of some people in the hobby, I don't think it's true of everyone.

I agree with what a lot of other people have already said - it's another creative outlet. I imagine, however, that it's a hobby that's more or less restricted to the middle class, due to the expenses. What's interesting to me, though, is the fact that this hobby isn't incredibly mainstream, at least in America. Sure, we have big forums like this one and doll meets and whatnot, and it's such an involved hobby, what with all the creativity that goes into it, but still, it's a subculture. I'd even go so far as to say it's a counterculture. Yet, in this counterculture, and in our characters, I wonder if we're unconsciously reproducing our own views, experiences - our habitus, as Pierre Bourdieu would put it. To be sure, there's much more to this hobby than meets the eye.

What's the psychology and social processes behind it? I have a BS in Anthropology, and I'm currently in school getting my Master's, and man, has this got me thinking. There's so much to be explored in terms of taste and consumption and other things! Man, I'm going to have to look more into this! (I hope I haven't gotten off-topic;;; )

 

I adore children but I don't plan on birthing them. I think the main reason why I like my dolls so much is that they're a manifestation of my ideals. They can look, dress and have any personality I want so they naturally reflect the kind of traits I think an ideal person should have.

 

I defiantly don't plan on having children, ever. and no they are not some representation of my maternal instincts coming out. if that were true I wouldent have chosen dolls that look like adults and gone with one of those nuborn dolls that look like babies. you know the ones that people who cant have children buy so they can express their maternal instinct. NO! I chose bjd's because they represent characters and are pieces of art. so at least for me your friend is wrong about.

 

I do not like kids. DO NOT like kids. Never want them.

With my dolls, as with many of my past pursuits, are part of me wanting to make beauty. The dolls are a blank canvas for me. I want to make them beautiful. Beautiful faces, beautiful clothes, and beautiful pictures.

 

That's too funny. I have children and dolls are kind of the opposite. Dolls stay clean, dressed and stay where you put them.

 

[MENTION=2757]maudlincycle[/MENTION] I love your point of view on this - the part about a doll being a version of your true self. I feel like that's totally the case for me. One of my dolls has amnesia and struggles with the question of how important it is to understand her past versus living in the moment and creating her future. When is dealing with the past constructive, and when does it become unhealthy dwelling that keeps you from living in the now? I've struggled with this question, and I'm totally playing it out through the story of my doll. She is trying to figure out who she is, just like I am, and like I may always be.

I could see more merit in the psychologist's theory if we were talking about baby dolls. That to me speaks more to a desire for motherhood, but many of our BJDs are adults or young adults, and to me that doesn't seem to jive as much with a mothering instinct. Personally I feel a maternal instinct toward my cat but not toward my BJDs. Also, I'm 36 and have decided not to have children.

I'm drawn to the miniature world of BJDs, and the crafting aspect of creating that world. For me, it's much like a love of dollhouses. What is it about detailed miniature worlds that we're attracted to, psychologically? Hm. Now, that's an interesting question. The phrase "playground for the imagination" comes to mind.

 

I have no intention of having children. My (perhaps insane? LOL!) interest in dolls is fashion and anime/manga related. I suppose you could ask if a guy who buys and restores a classic car and names it and calls it his 'baby' is suffering from a ticking clock? I would say that to have something you can put time and effort into artistically, creatively and be proud of is more important in a psychologically positive way than arbitrarily ascribing a basic biological urge. After all, think of all the people that routinely buy a doll and sell it the next day. I think it's more how you handle real children that says whether you want to be a parent or not. And a lot of people who didn't think they wanted children make fantastic parents. The old cliche; "sometimes a cigar really is just a cigar, Freud" is there for a reason.

 

[MENTION=10496]hobbywhelmed[/MENTION] oh, this is a really good point you've made. We do tend to want to "humanify" things, as you put it. Even our depictions of robots are that way.

 

I have the maternal instincts of a dead house brick and I've known since my teens (and probably earlier) that I never wanted children (and finally, now I'm in my mid 40s, people have stopped telling me it'll change if I have a baby or that my biological clock will start ticking, and worse).

Dolls are another creative outlet for me (and allow to to combine hobbies too) but there's also an element of wish fulfilment. My tinies are pixies, fairies, sprites, what-have-you - fantasy beings I wished existed. My MSDs are, as well as being their own characters, aspects of me that I'm not and have at times wished I was.

 

That's an interesting theory!
But I don't think it apply to me. I am attracted to BJD cause of the art and craft side of the hobby. Also because I am trying to make up for the years of childhood I missed out due to family situation. That or I'm just forever childish at heart

 

According to my mother, I wasn't at all interested in dolls as a very young child. However, I've been fascinated by the beauty and narrative possibilities of dolls for as long as I can remember. My Disney barbies had epic lives. It's not about wanting children at all; it's about exploring fictional characters and their stories. Photography and dolls might not be the most common medium, but I don't think what drew me to them is much different from the things that make people want to take up creative writing or visual art.

 

Hrmm... I do so love it when people judge primarily female-dominated hobbies harshly. After all everything we poor women do has to do with our wombs and our inherent hysteria. Just as the oh-so-healthy and often violent behaviour of certain sport obsessed hooligans and car renovation has everything to do with penis fantasies.


Apologies for the overly sarcastic response but gods I dislike the double-standard that pervades the social ways certain hobbies/jobs/activities are viewed as more "worthwhile" than others. As a female who would happily permanently remove my ability to procreate if I could find a doctor who was willing (Seriously why should I have to spend a quarter of my adult life being punished for not wanting pregnancy??), and who mostly indulges in male-dominated hobbies & work this kind of nonsense gets my hackles up far more than it probably should.

Personally I got into the bjd hobby as an offshoot from the high-end action figure hobby and miniature painting hobby, as part of a v.long quest to own a representation of a character that meant a great deal to me. BJDs are just far more readily customised than the action figures, and cost about the same amount to maintain/clothe when all is said and done! I've no idea what the psychology of my collection is - but given that my reaction when confronted with an infant last time was to hold it at arms length both literally and emotionally I highly doubt it has anything to do with my possession of a womb that I do not actually want.

 

Wow this thread is so old but, I won't lie. My doll is 100% my maternal instincts coming out. My hubby and I haven't taken the leap into parenthood yet and my dog won't let me dress her up So, naturally, being a life-long doll lover, I decided a pretty little bjd would be the perfect victim...I mean outlet.

 

I don't mind kids but my reason for liking BJDs and dolls in general couldn't be more apart.

For me is about creation, being able to make a character and be creative on a different medium, it's about having fun.

 

Oh, what's wrong with me then,I got interested in BJD's after having my baby daughter does that make me a bad mom or something ,or does that mean that I'm not satisfied enough with my little girl ? I don't agree with any psychological analysis ,I think dolls mean different things to different people.To me it is more about expressing myself in a creative way by customising a doll,letting my mind create stories ,sometimes I pose dolls and make sketches,what about taking photos of them... I think its all about having a hobby and feeling good about it

 

Old fashioned hysteria was thought to be a reaction to a woman's expectations and limitations in society. Only having choices of being a wife and mother would have made me go crazy.

 

Personally for me, I highly doubt it is any maternal instinct. While yes, despite being nineteen, I do have a sort of compulsive mother-bear attitude it only ever rears its head towards children in my family. So, I do have those factors in me though I don't believe it have much to do with dolls. It's more of a creative means to get to "experiment" with my work. As an author, I crave to see my characters both on paper and tangibly. So it's always been natural for me to find even barbies that closely resemble my characters and do things such as pose them and photograph them to get a better feel for how the character's expressions are. Once I discovered BJD it was a pure gateway to getting every single detail just right and I was hooked... I don't know, I suppose control also comes in to play, as I don't trust other people's artwork to give me the same kind of gratification. It's like physically moving the character while processing how their attitudes would make them hold themselves, then actually seeing how it comes together, makes it about six-million times easier to write. Not to mention at the end of the day I have a really awesome, custom made 'action figure' (term used extremely loosely, but the best comparison I could think of) of my own personal creation. Not something from a movie or mass produced.

I definitely believe that there's a more defined psychology to how working with dolls helps my writing process, I'm just not sure what to call it.

 

Sheesh. Maybe some people collect BJDs out of a misplaced maternal instinct, but they really do not lend themselves to that. Go to the Reborn collectors for those people.... I myself have kids & grandkids - and cats too - I am not indulging in anything maternal w/these dolls except in a metaphoric sense (birth of my characters etc). I'm a writer & costumer who got into BJDs due to their realism & their resemblance to anime characters. I've always loved miniatures & wished there were dolls that fit the hyper-accuracy of some of the tiny reproductions I own, so when I found BJDs my wish was fulfilled! I can costume them (yayyyy!!!) & photograph them in stories (since my drawing ability is nil) & display them in my home in dioramas which make me smile as I go about my everyday tasks!

 

I didn't even know about BJD's until a couple of years ago, and that was AFTER I had given birth to my daughter.
I never thought that it was about maternal instincts for me. I enjoy the customization and characterization aspect of the hobby.
I also enjoy the photography aspect. BJD's are truly a hobby for me, because a lot of my other 'hobbies' like drawing, painting, and making jewelry... have become more than hobbies. It's a way for me to decompress.