Projection is attributing a negative quality about oneself to someone else. Strong negative feelings toward someone else's appearance, comments, or behavior reflect one's own inadequacies.
For example, a person who is barely aware that they are unhappy with their personal appearance is highly critical of the appearance of others.
Examples of projection
In school, a student who does poorly on a test blames the teacher for the failure (also called blame shifting).
A person is highly critical of a co-worker's appearance and seems unaware that the negative comments reflect their own struggle with appearance.
A clergyman preaches against the evils of pornography even as he struggles to resist watching porn.
In romantic relationships, partners may blame the other for their own flaws.
In politics, a candidate engages in bullying another as inadequate or lacking intelligence not realizing these are personal worries about adequacy and intellectual ability.
Projection is a Level 3 Defense Mechanism.
Resources
A- Z List of Defense Mechanisms with descriptions
Psychotic Defense Mechanisms described
Defense Mechanisms Rating Scales
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