PROJECTION As a Defence Mechanism Saanvi Nagpal Practical Nursing Program, Holland College PSYC-1025: Normal Growth and Development Tracey Norris September 15, 2023 ABSTRACT Intense research has been conducted on the 12 defence mechanisms outlined by Sigmund Freud. These are methods used by individuals to deal with negative emotions and scenarios. Projection is one such defence mechanism that is found very commonly in people of all age groups. Projection has various components to it, the primary one is the need to feel good about oneself by pointing out the negatives in someone else. Several childhood experiences have proven to have contributed to the development of projection as a defence mechanism. If employed occasionally, projection can help in dealing with extreme emotions and bouts of frustration. However, prolonged use can end up straining personal relationships and affecting the emotional sanity of others. SCENARIO Erin, a 26-year-old lawyer, has been in a committed relationship with her partner, Toby for 2 years now. The couple very recently decided to take their relationship a step forward by moving in together. While the entire process of moving in was quite easy for Toby, Erin on the other hand felt a little hesitation before the big move. Before moving in with Toby, Erin had second thoughts. Even though she believed she was just getting cold feet, subconsciously, She was worried that if they were to live together, Toby would see her for “who she is”, and might end up breaking up with her. She was a child of divorce and had grown up seeing a rather unhappy marriage in the form of her parents. After her parents’ divorce, Erin’s mother was assigned custody, and her father moved to Italy, where he remarried and spoke to Erin only on birthdays. Eventually, her mother started abusing alcohol, and in fits of anger, would often blame Erin for her failed marriage. Erin was used to being belittled and bullied at the hands of her mother. From her appearance to her abilities and personality, everything about Erin was mocked by the very person who gave birth to her. Despite her initial hesitation, her love for him compelled Erin to ignore what she was feeling and move in with Toby. The initial month flew by very fast. They were very happy and didn’t regret their decision even once. However, things began to change very soon. Toby was in data analytics and most days worked from home. He only worked a fixed 9-3 shift and contributed to the housework after. Erin on the other hand worked at a big law firm, as a junior associate. Her working hours were long and often not limited to a particular schedule. As a result of what she went through as a child, Erin often felt inadequate in everything she did. Even though she was a great lawyer, she always felt that she was subpar in comparison to her fellow junior associate Kiley. Both of them were only a few weeks old in the firm, both graduated from the same university, both had the same LSAT score, and both worked under the same senior partner at the firm. Erin and Kiley were called into their senior partner’s office to brief him on the new case and propose ideas. Even though Erin’s idea was impressive, it was decided that Kiley’s intervention would be put into action. Soom Erin became the office favourite and ended up bagging an early promotion. This triggered all the childhood trauma Erin had suffered and brought back the experiences of being rejected and belittled. As she went back home, she noticed that Toby was in his pyjamas, watching a football game. That’s when she passed a rather hurtful taunt to Toby. She said, “Only if I got paid to sit in my pyjamas all day long and smell of sweat”. At the time Toby didn’t pay much heed to this comment and ignored it thinking it was just a joke. However, this initiated a cycle of Erin projecting her insecurities on Toby. She would always come home and find something to point out about him. Somedays she was unhappy with the way Toby dressed. Somedays she told him how his arms were too hairy. She would criticize him for the way he washed his dishes or the way he cooked pasta. One day she heard him chat with his mother over the phone and remarked how the way he talked to her was needy and immature. She also began commenting on how Toby is inadequate at his work. She would tell him that he has no ambition in life, and is very laid back. Things went from bad to worse very quickly. Where initially, Toby was able to ignore Erin’s critical remarks, the constant nagging eventually got to him. He started internalizing all that was being said to him and slipped into feeling negative about himself. He began believing what Erin was saying about him and that affected his emotional well-being to a drastic degree. APPLICATION OF DEFENCE MECHANISM IN SCENARIO The scenario highlighted above is a classic case of how individuals use the defence mechanism of projection to cope with what emotions and experiences they have buried in their subconscious and unconscious minds. The concept of defence mechanism was popularised primarily by Sigmund Freud. He explained how these mechanisms were employed unconsciously in order to reduce anxiety and mitigate discomfort. Freud borrowed the psychological idea of Projection from neurology and essentially implied that those who resorted to projection as a defence mechanism, often see themselves in the other person. They fail to hold a mirror up to themselves and so see others as the problem. The way Erin dealt with being criticized as a child, was to develop a sense of shame and insecurity. She repressed the emotions of inadequacy and unlikability as a child, However as Erin stepped into adulthood, the various pressures and competitions of the work environment triggered her responses of feeling insecure about her abilities. Projection has a very integrated relationship with repression. In the year 1997, Leonard Newman conducted a breakthrough study illustrating this very idea (Newman, L., Duff, K., & Baumeister, R., 1997). Newman who works as a Professor, Associate Chair and Director of Undergraduate Studies at Syracuse University, received a PhD in social-personality psychology from New York University. He explained the study he and his colleagues undertook, where they asked people to elaborate on the negative traits that they found threatening. They then observed in what manner did these people respond to those negative traits in both themselves and others. One of their key findings demonstrated how those who had buried their feelings, also known as “Repressors” were more likely to completely deny that they possessed any of those negative traits. However, they were also the ones who readily blamed others for having those threats. Additionally, they were also bound to avoid the conversation about these traits. There is a wide spectrum of defence mechanisms that have been studied. Projection is popularly considered to be one of the more rudimentary defence mechanisms, especially since it arises from a less nuanced idea of good and bad. Hence it is used more commonly in middle or late childhood. That being said, it is not uncommon to see adults employ these less mature defence mechanisms. According to Karen R. Koenig, Projection is viewed as a basic, unconscious defence mechanism that can be used by anyone. The crucial aspect is to have a deep understanding of oneself, including a sense of self-compassion for one's imperfections, and to avoid automatically accepting the judgments others make about you as accurate. People who engage in verbal abuse often employ projection as a tactic to make you feel negative about yourself while boosting their own self-esteem. The key to breaking free from this pattern is to recognize when the projection is taking place and to realize that what you're being blamed for is probably a characteristic of the person accusing you, rather than something about you. (Understanding Interpersonal Dynamics to Reduce Emotional Eating, 2016) Defence mechanisms can either perform in an adaptive or a maladaptive manner (Polan, E., & Taylor, D., 2023). In the short term, employing adaptive defence mechanisms can assist individuals by giving them the necessary time to acclimate to stress and cultivate healthier coping strategies. These adaptive mechanisms serve as a shield against anxiety and conflict, safeguarding individuals from emotional turmoil. However, when defence mechanisms are excessively relied upon or used inappropriately, they can impede personal growth and overall satisfaction. The effectiveness of these mechanisms ultimately depends on how often and intensely they are used, as they have the potential to alter one's perception of reality, either aiding or obstructing their well-being. Pojection when overused, can often become a habit and have harmful consequences. It has proven to disrupt relations, hinder personal dynamics, and cultivate an environment of victim blaming, jealousy and bullying. Projection gives way to hostility, which in turn creates a cycle of internalized negative emotions. As it was clear in the scenario, Erin did not try to work through her feelings in a healthy way and refused to acknowledge them. Instead, she began projecting her thoughts about herself onto her partner Toby. This not only impacted their relationship in a negative manner but also caused a great deal of mental and emotional stress upon Toby himself. REFERENCES Polan, E., & Taylor, D. (2023). Journey across the life span: Human development and health promotion. F.A. Davis Company. Understanding Interpersonal Dynamics to Reduce Emotional Eating. (2016, August 01). Retrieved from https://www.karenrkoenig.com/blog/understanding-interpersonal-dynamics-toreduce-emotional-eating Baumeister, R. F., Dale, K., & Sommer, K. L. (1998). Freudian defence mechanisms and empirical findings in modern social psychology: Reaction formation, projection, displacement, undoing, isolation, sublimation, and denial. Newman LS, Duff KJ, Baumeister RF. (1997). A new look at defensive projection: Thought suppression, accessibility, and biased person perception.
