Brackettinc

Fantasy is a mental mechanism where a person substitutes real satisfactions for imaginary satisfactions. When failures and frustrations of everyday life become difficult to bear, people sometimes seek escape in self created, fanciful worlds.

A certain amount of daydreaming, especially in the early years of life, is normal. As a preparation for creativity, fantasy is not only desirable but also even essential. But fantasy becomes a dangerous and sometimes disabling mechanism if it is consistently preferred over reality, and is used as a method of problem solving, In extreme forms of fantasy characteristics or psychotic personality, the individual is unable to differentiate fact from fantasy.

Modern society recognizes the need for mental escape and provides the use of ready made fantasy worlds such as movies, radio stories, novels and plays. Many enjoys such fantasy worlds for relaxation, but when a person watches movies every night, or has an insatiable appetite for novels and radio stories, then he or she is using these not for relaxation but as a means of escape. Like a habit forming drug, fantasy provides great comfort and relaxation if used in small doses.