Imaginary Friend

One of the best pieces of advice I received for engaging with others was this improv technique called the Yes And game. It affirms the other and engages with the other where they're at. It's a way of navigating difficult negotiations in business and playing fantasy games with adults. In some circles the ability to 'play along' is an expected technique. 

With children, they can struggle to feel accepted or heard or understood. Interestingly, talking in 3rd person about Juniper (myself) can teach another how I see her and to see her through my eyes. The human condition is such that, when one person is thought highly of by another, others tend to agree - this technique is widely used for advertising and PR. Role playing is also a good technique for therapy. 

Your son might have sub-consiously recognised this and brought in someone to assist if he has trouble communicating, perhaps. If he is struggling with language, and/or feeling misunderstood, an imaginary being could be a way of dealing with this dissonance. 

I spent my childhood feeling wildly misjudged. And sadly my imaginary friends disappeared when my brother was born. 

NAS78234 said:

We are at the stage now, where this little character, is taking over and being blamed for all wrong doings.

What kind of wrong doings? Would the imaginary friend like to fix them or does this friend require help. 

When my son was young, I assumed responsibility for the things he did: Children mimic adults. If they're feeling marginalised at school, they might try mimicking kids who receive praise from their peers. If his misconduct was something his father did, I might gently pull him aside in private and ask what he thought about the behaviour, why he did that and if he thought it was OK his father did it and talk it though with him. Careful to not dismiss or break him - they don't know, they're lost in a moment or figuring things out or "pretending to be a grown up". The important thing I found was that there are few things that are of grave importance - things which if he continued would cause ruin in his life and/or future. Only good can come from a little respect and affording dignity of these small individuals learning to navigate the world. 

I wouldn't try and discourage it. I had an imaginary friend as a child. It's quite common and I believe usually considered quite healthy. 

I think it would be okay to talk with your son as to why it might not be appropriate to play with his friend during class though, and maybe chat about why he feels he needs to take time out to play. Is he feeling bored at school or overwhelmed for example? You could also, depending on the circumstances, when he blames his friend for any wrong doings talk to him about why his friend did it and whether it was appropriate. You could even ask your son what he thinks would have been a better choice for his friend to make at that point. Though this would, of course, depend on what had happened. 

I had an imaginary friend when I was young. 

My son finds it very hard when things go wrong so I sometimes use an imaginary person, when he was younger I used one of his toys as the culprit to discuss what had happened or discuss appropriate behaviours.

This may be helping him deal with the shame when things go wrong.

i dont see a problem, hes 8 and its not harming anyone. also it could help his imaginative play skills and may help social skills ?