IMAGINING THE INTANGIBLE – A QUALITATIVE RESEARCH REPORT ON THE SUBJECTIVE EXPERIENCE IN FANTASY
Published 10/25/2024
Keywords
- fantasy,
- tendency to fantasize,
- imagination,
- imaginary,
- dreaming
- perception,
- cognition,
- experience,
- motivation,
- interview ...More
How to Cite
Copyright (c) 2024 Psychological Research (in the Balkans)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Defining fantasy within the scope of psychological literature poses considerable challenges. Conceptualiza- tion of fantasy is often inconsistent and restricted to research goals. Fantasy denotes imaginative activity, engagement in mental imageries, mental stimulations and inner representations as well as products of the imaginations such as new ideas, forms and solutions. Fantasy proneness outlines individual differences in inclination to imaginative activity. The present study introduces an approach to fantasy as a structure of perceived meaning, phenomenological experience and motivation in imaginative activity.
The paper reports findings from a qualitative analysis on the perception of fantasy and fantasizing conducted for the first time in Bulgarian. A semi-structured interview was employed for the purpose of the study. Twenty-seven participants between 21 and 74 years old were interviewed, that includes 11 men, 15 females, and one boy at the age of 7. Survey data reports fantasy as a universal experiential phenomenon perceived in the domain of the unattainable in reality. A central role of desire emerges as a fundamental source of fantasizing and as a purpose of fantasy. Notable variations exist in the perspectives of experiencing fantasy (active and passive). Critical assessment of experiences in fantasy is consistently reported across all responses. Fantasizing is conceived as an intimate perception of particular themes. The study shows words and phrases related to fantasy and reports intended meanings, perceived significance and purposes of imaginative activity. Research findings support scientific efforts in building a testable model on the structure of fantasy and the pur- poses of imaginative activity in life and mental functioning.
References
- Andrade, J., May, J., Deeprose, C., Baugh, S. J. & Ganis, G. (2014). Assessing vividness of mental imagery: The Plymouth Sensory Imagery Questionnaire. British journal of psychology (London, England : 1953), 105(4), 547–563. https://doi.org/10.1111/ bjop.12050
- Andreeva, L. (1999). Hristomatia po psihologia na poznanieto. izd. Lik.
- Asma, S. (2017). Why we need a new kind of education: Imagination Studies. Aeon Essays. [online]. Ac- cessed 21 August 2022. Available at: Why we need a new kind of education: Imagination Studies | Aeon Essays.
- Bacon, A. M. & Charlesford, J. J. (2018). Investigat- ing the association between fantasy proneness and emotional distress: The mediating role of cognitive coping strategies. Personality and Individual Differ- ences, 135, 157–165.
- Braun, V. & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analy- sis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psy- chology, 3(2), 77–101. https://doi.org/10.1191/ 1478088706qp063oa
- Caci, B., Miceli, S., Scrima, F. & Cardaci, M. (2020). Neuroticism and Fear of COVID-19. The Inter- play Between Boredom, Fantasy Engagement, and Perceived Control Over Time. Frontiers in psy- chology, 11, 574393. https://doi.org/10.3389/fp- syg.2020.574393
- Chamberlain, K. (1999). Using grounded theory in health psychology. In M. Murray & K. Chamberlain (Eds.), Qualitative Health Psychology (pp.183-201). Thou- sand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
- Corbin, H. (1972). Mundus Imaginalis, or the Imaginary and the Imaginal. Ashuelot, NH: Golgonooza Press. Damasio, A. R. (2004). Emotions and Feelings: A Neu- robiological Perspective. In A. S. R. Manstead, N. Frijda, & A. Fischer (Eds.), Feelings and emotions:The Amsterdam symposium (pp. 49–57). Cam- bridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/ CBO9780511806582.004
- Freud, S. (1908). Creative Writers and Day-Dreaming. The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychologi- cal Works of Sigmund Freud 9:141-154.
- Freud, S. (1919). The ‘Uncanny’. The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, Volume XVII (1917-1919): An Infantile Neu- rosis and Other Works, 217-256.
- Glisky, M. L., Tataryn, D. J., Tobias, B. A., Kihlstrom, J.
- F. & McConkey, K. M. (1991). Absorption, openness to experience, and hypnotizability. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 60(2), 263–272. Gradev, Vl., (2023), Prochiti na Dante. Ray. Izd. Fondatsia „Komunitas“.
- Horselenberg, R., Merckelbach, H., van Breukelen, G. & Wessel, I. (2004). Individual Differences in the Accuracy of Autobiographical Memory. Clinical Psy- chology & Psychotherapy, 11(3), 168–176.
- James, W. (1890). The principles of psychology, Vol. 1. Henry Holt and Co.
- Jung, C. G. (1971). Psychological Types: The Collected Works, Volume 6. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
- Kappes, A., Oettingen, G. and Pak, H. (2012). Mental contrasting and the self-regulation of responding to negative feedback. Pers. Soc. Psychol. Bull. 38, 845– 857. https://doi.org/10.1177/0146167212446833
- Kihlstrom, J. F., Glisky, M. L. & Angiulo, M. J. (1994). Dissociative tendencies and dissociative disorders. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 103(1), 117–124. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-843X.103.1.117
- Klinger, E. (1971). Structure and functions of fantasy. Wiley-Interscience.
- Klinger, E., Henning, V. R. & Janssen, J. M. (2009). Fan- tasy-proneness dimensionalized: Dissociative com- ponent is related to psychopathology, daydreaming as such is not. Journal of Research in Personality, 43(3), 506–510
- Korben, A. (2017). Skritiyat imam. Izd. Semantika. Korsini, R. Dzh. (red.). (1998). Entsiklopedia po Psihologia. Izd. Nauka i izkustvo.
- Lynn, S. J. & Rhue, J. W. (1986). The fantasy-prone per- son: Hypnosis, imagination, and creativity. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51(2), 404– 408.
- Lynn, S. J. & Rhue, J. W. (1988). Fantasy proneness: Hypnosis, developmental antecedents, and psycho- pathology. American Psychologist, 43, 35-44.
- Meng, H. & Freud Ernst, L. (Eds.). (1963). Psychoanaly- sis and Faith, the Letters of Sigmund Freud and Os- kar Pfister. The Hoghart Press and the institute of psychoanalysis.
- Merckelbach, H. & Giesbrecht, T. (2006). Subclinical dis- sociation, schizotypy, and traumatic distress. Per- sonality and Individual Differences, 40. 365-374.
- Merckelbach, H. (2004). Telling a good story: Fantasy proneness and the quality of fabricated memories. Personality and Individual Differences, 37, 1371-1382.
- Merckelbach, H., Horselenberg, R. & Muris, P. (2001). The Creative Experiences Questionnaire (CEQ): A brief self-report measure of fantasy proneness. Per- sonality and Individual Differences, 31(6), 987–995. Merckelbach, H., Muris, P. & Rassin, E. (1999). Fantasy proneness and cognitive failures as correlates of dis- sociative experiences. Personality and Individual Differences, 26(5), 961–967.
- Merckelbach, H., Otgaar, H. & Lynn, S. J. (2021). Empiri- cal research on fantasy proneness and its correlates 2000–2018: A meta-analysis. Psychology of Con- sciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice, 9(1), 2–26.
- Naydenova, V., Dzhamdzhieva, M., Staevska, V. (2008). Kachestveni metodi v sotsialnite nauki. Vavede- nie. Sofia, Universitetsko izdatelstvo „Sv. Kliment Ohridski“.
- Oettingen, G. & Mayer, D. (2002). The motivating function of thinking about the future: Expecta- tions versus fantasies. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 83(5), 1198–1212. https://doi. org/10.1037/0022-3514.83.5.1198
- Petkov, A. (2003). Aktualni problemi na psihologiyata na lichnostta. Sofia. Izd. Lyubomadrie
- Petkov, A. (1978). Psihichno prezhivyavane. Spisanie psihologia (6), 384-389.
- Petrova, Ya. (2022). Sklonnost kam fantazirane i spra- vyane s emotsionalen distres. Sbornik s dokladi na Natsionalna shkola za doktoranti i mladi izsledo- vateli v sotsialnite nauki. Patishta kam ustoychivoto razvitie: podhodi i prinosi na sotsialnite nauki. Tom
- red. Konova M,, Sofia, izd. Balgarska akademia na naukite. Institut za izsledvane na naselenieto i choveka, str.9-18.
- Petrova, Ya. (2023). Fantaziraneto kato smisal i prezhivy- avane na zhiznenia opit. Godishnik na Sofiyski uni- versitet „Sv. Kliment Ohridski“, Filosofski fakultet, Kniga doktoranti. Tom 7. sast. Kabakov I., Sofia, izd. Universitetsko izdatelstvo „Sv. Kliment Ohrid- ski“, str. 63-101.
- Plante, C., Reysen, S., Groves, C., Roberts, S. & Gerbasi, K. (2017). The Fantasy Engagement Scale: A Flex- ible Measure of Positive and Negative Fantasy En- gagement. Basic and Applied Social Psychology. 39. 127-152.
- Rauschenberger, S. L. & Lynn, S. J. (1995). Fantasy proneness, DSM-III—R Axis I psychopathology, and dissociation. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 104(2), 373–380.
- Reker, G. T. & Wong, P. T. P. (1988). Aging as an individ- ual process: Toward a theory of personal meaning. In J. E. Birren & V. L. Bengtson (Eds.), Emergent theories of aging (pp. 214–246). Springer Publish- ing Company.
- Reker, G. T. & Wong, P. T. P. (2012). Personal meaning in
- life and psychosocial adaptation in the later years. In P. T. P. Wong (Ed.), The human quest for meaning: Theories, research, and applications (2nd ed.) (pp. 433–456). Routledge/Taylor & Francis.
- Rhue, J. W. & Lynn, S. J. (1987). Fantasy proneness: De- velopmental antecedents. Journal of Personality, 55(1), 121–137.
- Sánchez-Bernardos, M. L. & MJ, Hernández & Avia, Ma- ria & Bragado-Álvarez, Carmen. (2015). Fantasy Proneness and Personality Profiles. Imagination, Cognition, and Personality, 34. 327-339.
- Sánchez-Bernardos, M. L. & Avia, M. D. (2004). Person- ality correlates of fantasy proneness among adoles- cents. Personality and Individual Differences, 37(5), 1069–1079.
- Singer J.L., Streiner B.F. (1966). Imaginative Content in the Dreams and Fantasy Play of Blind and Sighted Children. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 22(2):475- 482.
- Singer, J. L. (1977). Daydreaming and Fantasy. British Journal of Educational Studies, 25(3):297-298.
- Taylor, S. E., Pham, L. B., Rivkin, I. D. & Armor, D. A. (1998). Harnessing the imagination: Mental simula- tion, self-regulation, and coping. American Psychol- ogist, 53(4), 429–439. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003- 066X.53.4.429
- Todorova, I., Dzhofi-Falman, R., Iselin, M-Zh. (2001). Igra na idei: programni produkti za kachestven ana- liz na danni. Sotsiologicheski problemi, XXXIII (3).
- Vygotsky, L. S. (2004). Imagination and creativity in childhood. Journal of Russian and East European Psychology, 42(1), 7–97 [Original publication 1930 in Soviet Psychology 28 (1): 84–96].
- Weibel, D., Martarelli, C. S., Häberli, D. & Mast, F. W. (2017). The fantasy questionnaire: A measure to assess creative and imaginative fantasy. Journal of Personality Assessment, 100(4), 431–443.
- Wilson, S. C. & Barber, T. X. (1982). The fantasy-prone personality: Implications for understanding imagery, hypnosis, and parapsychological phenomena. PSI Research, 1(3), 94–116.
- Yung K. G. (1993). Karl Gustav Yung. Izbrano. Kniga vtora. Izd. Avrazia-Aabagar. ATLAS.ti | The #1 Software for Qualitative Data Analysis - ATLAS.ti (atlasti.com) Automatically convert audio and video to text: Fast, Ac- curate, & Affordable | Sonix