Post by Susan Peabody on Apr 14, 2016 15:01:03 GMT
"Once we were blind and now we see." Amazing Grace
"We see in a mirror darkly." Bible
I want to talk about is the concept of projection. Since this word is not self-explanatory, I want to make sure we are all on the same page. Below are some basic definitions of how I will use the word "projection." There are no synonyms except the word "displacement" which also needs explanation if you have never heard it before.
Throughout my journal, I will defining words as I go along. It is not my intention to insult anyone's intelligence. I remember in my high school geometry class I was out sick and missed one lesson. Each lesson was so tied into the one before and the one after, that missing one lesson totally derailed me. I was lost for the rest of the semester. As I share my thoughts, I don't want a single word to be that missing lesson. This is why Christ taught in parables . . . so no one would get lost.
Professional Definitions of Projection
To regard (something within the mind, as a feeling, thought, or attitude) as having some form of reality outside the mind.
To ascribe one's own feelings, thoughts, or attitudes to others.
Psychological projection is a theory in psychology in which humans defend themselves against their own unpleasant impulses by denying their existence while attributing them to others. For example, a person who is rude may constantly accuse other people of being rude. It can take the form of blame shifting.
Projection is a form of defense in which unwanted feelings are displaced onto another person, where they then appear as a threat from the external world.
My Own Understanding of Projection
Projection, as I see it, is complicated. The metaphor of the movie projector is a poor attempt to study what is really going on inside our mind. We have not yet discovered how to find out what is going on in our brain so instead we study reflections of the mind. In other words, to find out what is inside of the machine called a projector, we look at what is on the screen in front of us. So if the movie is about past events this is what we see on the screen in front of us. But behind the screen is something else. It is the reality of the present moment. In other words we are in a constant state of confusion trying to sort out the truth from the projection. The truth helps us make wiser choices.
In relationships we are more successful if we try desperately to see past what is on the screen to what is behind it: reality.
The brain is full of images. Some real and some not. When we project, we cannot tell the difference either. So what appears real may be false. Also, the mind is full of memories of the past, and sometimes we see that more clearly than what is really there. I remember at my 20-year class reunion I ran into a guy I had loved. All I saw was what he looked like in high school. I projected the image of him from the past onto the present. It took awhile [weeks] for me to see that he was older and looked very different. Projection is very powerful and sometimes dangerous.
We, or course, have to sort this all out. When we project are we seeing the past or what is really in front of us? Usually we start out projecting and end up having to sort out the past from the present or the real from what is false. Only then can we make decisions on how to proceed appropriately.
I remember watching Star Trek and they had a character called a "changling." He looked different to everyone who looked at him. No one ever saw what he really looked like. Everyone just saw their projection. [A lot of StarTrek movies had hidden meanings like this [layers of meaning].
Susan