Psychological Projection

Purpose

People who are not mindful about psychological projection will project. Psychological projection is a powerful "function" of the mind; however, it can provide wrong information. The purpose of this page is to explain what psychological projection is, why it happens, and allow you to be more mindful that it happens. It can also help you better understand how to evaluate information to determine if it is true.

Briefly

Many people, without thinking about it, project their belief (which is a guess) about why someone might say or do something. Therefore, if someone says something to you, or says something about someone else to you, it is important to realize it may not be true. Similarly, before you assume you know why a person did something; make sure to ask them, instead of assuming your guess is correct.

What is a projector? A projector is something that projects an image onto something else, like a movie screen.

How do people "project" their beliefs? Let me give you a simple description:

Person 1 can only guess what Person 2 is thinking and feeling, unless Person 1 asks Person 2 what they are thinking and feeling. Think about it. How could Person 1 really know what Person 2 is thinking unless they or ask them? How many people are able to read other people's minds?

For example, Person 1 thinks or feels "Person 2 is greedy", maybe because Person 2 has a lot of money. Would Person 2 be greedy if Person 2 later uses the money to help members of their family or other people?

Sometimes people think other people think the same way they do. It can be a common mistake for people to project onto other people. Remember, everyone has his or her own limited view of life. Everyone wears their own pair of glasses () that limits their "view". Just because one person thinks one way does not mean another person thinks the same way. This truth can sometimes be overlooked.

Details

Dr. Grant Brenner states "Projection is a basic, self-protective defense, and a process which affects how people understand one another. When we project, we "put" part of ourselves onto other people, usually to "get rid of" something objectionable. It is as if we are throwing a part of ourselves outward and casting it, like the image from a movie projector, onto (really, into) the other person. It often plays out in relationship dysfunction, as the defensive activity bounces back and forth between us over time, operating beneath the radar without being addressed." See the psychologytoday.com page for more detail.

Wikipedia states, "Psychological self-projection is a defense mechanism in which the human ego defends itself against unconscious impulses or qualities (both positive and negative) by denying their existence in themselves while attributing them to others. For example, a person who is habitually rude may constantly accuse other people of being rude. It incorporates blame shifting". See the Wikipedia.org page for more information.

See also:

• Psychological Projection: Dealing With Undesirable Emotions (everydayhealth.com)
• google search psychological projection (google.com).

Conclusion

Some people project. Nobody is perfect. One should be mindful of that.

I think there is at least one possible reasons why people project (both good and not good beliefs) onto others. Maybe they have been taught that through role models to project. They may not know about projection and be unaware that they are projecting.

Regardless of why people project, how can you tell if they are? Simply find out if they have asked Person 2 in the first place.

Thank YOU for reading this!

By David Morgan