Fantasists is a pathological lying disorder in which a person couldn’t differentiate between the fantasies and the real world. He wants to be the center of attention. For that, he makes kinds of stuff and conjugates stories of his own. They are eccentric personalities who may or may not be aware of whether they are lying. When an individual feels that his/her life is boring, to make life exciting, these people start lying about themselves and want to create a false impression. It is common for individuals who suffer from depression and feelings of inferiority.
Who are Fantasists?
Let’s quote an example of this from the movie Prisoners. It is a 2013 American thriller film directed by Denis Villeneuve and written by Aaron Guzikowski, based on the abduction of the two young daughters. It has portrayed the behavior of fantasists very clearly.
Fantasists, also known as Wackadoodle, are different from other mental illnesses. The victim wants to make his world of fantasies and wants to live in that imaginary world, where he is the only attention. They spare no effort to convert that virtual world into a reality. And this turns out to be addictive and compulsive, which can affect the person’s relationships and work. There are many examples of these fantasists who have no intention to hurt anyone. All they want is to live in their fantasies.
If you are thinking about what’s wrong with building a fantasy, then you are confusing fantasy with imagination. Fantasy is escaping from reality and, on the other hand, imagination is developing or expanding your awareness of reality. Fantasy is a negative connotation, whereas imagination is a positive one. Living in fantasy is a sign of poor mental health.
Mental Illness or a Common Factor
Though thinking about a little fantasy is not harmful, if it becomes a habit and turns out to be an addiction, it leads to stagnation and paralysis. Fantasists then start escaping from reality and this further results in a sense of detachment.
Neuroscientists have explained this as a default network, which is created when a person drifts towards idleness and starts overthinking. At that time, a default connection is set in the brain which he finds to be pleasant and wants to live in this regard. There is no cure for this illness through pharmaceutical medication, and only psychotherapy is the way to treat them. Currently, there is not much research done in this area of pathological lying.
Life is hard, but living in fantasy is not the only solution, is it?
