Delusional+or+Imaginary+Playmates+or+Friends

Young children not only produce ego-centric speech, in which they comment upon, explain and describe their own behavior, but sometimes describe their behavior to others (such as their parents) using ego-alien language. They may claim not to know whey they performed certain behaviors, may claim that someone else actually performed the deed for which they are accused, as well as develop imaginary friends with whom they share secrets, play games, or upon whom they may place the blame for some untoward incident. These same "imaginary" friends sometimes urge them to commit certain acts or explain or inform them regarding the actions and motives of others.

Not all children, of course, develop elaborate imaginary friends. However, all (or almost all) children develop egocentric speech and at times employ ego-alien descriptions when confronted with their own disagreeable behavior.

//Regions Affected/Involved:// Largely, much of this is secondary to corpus callosal immaturity and a reaction of the left hemisphere is response to impulses and behaviors initiated by the right cerebrum and/or limbic system; specifically hyperactivation of the hippocampus and adjoining tissue (which in turn has contributed to the evolution of the parietal lobe). However, among this same age group (up to age 7 and even 10), the parietal lobes are also quite immature, the inferior parietal area in particular.

Following destruction of the inferior parietal lobe and adjoining tissue, patients sometimes uncontrollably comment upon their actions, e.g. "Now I'm waving goodbye", whereas in other instances they may claim that the person performing the action in someone other than themselves. They may in fact completely deny that the left half of their body is their own and claim it belongs to another -which also occurs in some cases of emotional trauma induced injury to hippocampus; a structure which has contributed to the evolution of the parietal lobe. Although a lesioned parietal lobe is not the same as parietal lobe immaturity (particularly in that immaturity is bilateral and damage is usually unilateral), there remains a curious similarity in the behavior of these adults and children, including those who suffer dissociative states secondary to hippocampus-amygdala hyperactivation).

Perhaps this is because the ego and Self is first identified with the body whereas the image of the body is maintained by the parietal lobe. When one parietal lobe (due to damage or immaturity) is unable to communicate with the other half of the brain, the "normal" brain half is unable to recognize a continuity of Self. Consequently, behaviors initiated by the opposite (usually right) half of the brain, or the half of the body controlled by right brain are recognize by the speaking half of the cerebrum only from a disconnected (i.e. alien, dissociated) perspective. When the speaking (i.e. left) hemisphere is questioned about this behavior, or about it's left limbs, they are described as initiated or as belonging to someone else, such as "an old man", "my brother-in-law", or an imaginary friend.