Mittys

Mittys is a term used to describe individuals who frequently engage in elaborate daydreams to escape from the constraints of ordinary life. The term derives from the character Walter Mitty, the protagonist of James Thurber's 1939 short story The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, in which a commonplace, unassuming man experiences a series of vivid fantasies in which he is heroic, capable, or in positions of importance. Over time, the name has entered popular usage as a generic label for people who habitually drift into imaginative reveries in response to disappointment or monotony in everyday life.

Mittys are typically viewed in colloquial terms rather than as a formal psychological diagnosis. In common usage, a person described as a Mitty is seen as more immersed in fantasy than in reality, though not necessarily incapable of functioning in daily life. Some writers and commentators have used phrases such as “Walter Mitty syndrome” or “Mitty complex” to critique someone who presents a fantasy-self or exaggerates competence, but these expressions lack official clinical standing.

The concept has had a lasting cultural impact, influencing literature, film, and media portrayals of daydreamers. The Walter Mitty character and his escapist fantasies have been adapted in film, television, and other media, reinforcing the stereotype of the ubiquitous dreamer who retreats from a dull or unsatisfying present.

See also: daydreamer, escapism, fantasy.