Is Projection the Most Powerful Defense Mechanism?
What is projection, how does it work, and what can we do about it?
A computer is not really like us. It is a projection of a very small part of ourselves: that portion devoted to logic, order, rule, and clarity.” -Ellen Ullman
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.
Projection and avoidance
Projection requires the “splitting-off” ( dissociation, denial) of specific aspects of social reality, usually playing out the dynamic: “Whose fault is this? Not mine.” There is a basic swap between what is about oneself, and what is about others, and this aspect of social decision-making is off. We treat the other person consistently with how we feel about that quality in ourselves. We are unaware of and/or avoiding something true about ourselves.
