>>15964808Psychological projectionis the process of misinterpreting what is "inside" as coming from "outside".[1]It forms the basis of empathy by the projection of personal experiences to understand someone else's subjective world.[1]In its malignant forms, it is adefense mechanismin which theegodefends itself against disowned and highly negative parts of the self bydenyingtheir existence in themselves andattributingthem to others, breeding misunderstanding and causing untold interpersonal damage.[2]A bully may project their own feelings of vulnerability onto the target, or a person who is confused may project feelings of confusion and inadequacy onto other people. Projection incorporatesblame shiftingand can manifest asshame dumping.[3]Projection has been described as an early phase ofintrojection.[4]
