Turn Your Brightness Down, Your Projection's Showing!

Projection is something that has become increasingly perceptible throughout society. Likely you have already experienced projection, either online or personally.

If you are unfamiliar with projection, I would like to describe it as the more evolved form of assumption. When people make assumptions, they base them on the various details associated with an outside party. These details are generally a combination of facts and biases. The person will then deduce several ideas about the other party with the collected information.

How does this relate to projection? Projections work in tandem with assumptions. First, the ideas and emotions the projecting person has about themselves get projected onto the other party. After this, the projecting person assumes their projection exists within the other party. Finally, the projecting person accuses the other party of harboring the emotions and ideas they projected.

It was Sigmund Freud who defined this psychological phenomenon as a defense mechanism against uncomfortable and repressed emotions. When projecting, a person assigns their inner issues to another person. This projected assignment is then assumed to be the basis for the other person’s motives.

What is an example of projection? To use an example, consider the case of an unmarried co-worker who works alongside other married co-workers. The co-worker notices that she is the only one within the office who is not married. She harbors feelings of inadequacy and often feels left out because of the distinction. At work, the married co-workers bring up their marriages, unaware of the unmarried co-worker’s discomfort. She begins to believe that her other co-workers do this to exclude her from their conversations. She later accuses her co-workers of ostracizing her for being unmarried.

If you think you have been projecting, here are three helpful ways to combat it:

Honesty

Honesty will be your best policy when it comes to examining yourself. Before a projection can occur, unpleasant feelings are already present. To prevent yourself from projecting, be honest Are you uncomfortable? What is it about what you are experiencing that makes you uncomfortable?

If you’ve been avoiding yourself for some time, this process can be a bit challenging. Often time it is not the honesty that is difficult, but the feelings of guilt and shame.

To begin to face yourself, do so during a period of solitude where there are little to no distractions. It can be helpful to have pen and paper or a journal to jot down thoughts, as you give yourself time to reflect. Identifying these issues can help you hold yourself accountable. Be sure to give your thought time to reveal itself in a setting where you cannot deflect.

Acceptance

You may be someone honest with themselves but still projecting. Your issue may lie with acceptance. Sometimes the uncomfortable feelings surrounding projections can be so painful that people choose to live in denial of them. When you can accept yourself in its entirety, you can work to curb your projection.

It is important to note that if you have a complex psychological history, then this task may be too daunting to tackle on your own. If you find acceptance difficult, you may want to consider seeking guidance from an experienced and trained professional.

Therapy

Projections tend to stem from childhood traumas and traumas that may have occurred throughout the aging process. Talking with a therapist can help you unpack unprocessed emotions such as guilt, anger, and shame. Seeing a therapist can also introduce you to the tools needed to become more aware of your thoughts and provide you with healthier coping strategies to deal with your emotions.