00:00 Psychologist Carl Jung said,
00:02 "The most dangerous psychological mistake
00:04 is the projection of the shadow onto others.
00:07 This is the root of almost all conflicts."
00:10 According to Psych Central,
00:11 projection happens when someone places their own beliefs
00:13 or emotions onto someone else.
00:16 It often happens unconsciously,
00:17 and sometimes people project
00:19 their own insecurities onto others.
00:21 When someone projects,
00:22 you might internalize their hurtful comments
00:24 and believe them to be true.
00:26 But if you can easily recognize when someone is projecting,
00:29 it can help you become more resilient
00:31 and take their negative comments less personally.
00:34 Let's talk about three signs
00:36 someone is projecting their insecurities onto you.
00:39 Let's go.
00:40 Repression.
00:42 Science has had a huge impact
00:43 in revealing the significant role
00:45 repression plays in projection.
00:47 In 1997, Leonard Newman and colleagues conducted a study
00:51 where they asked people which negative traits
00:53 they found most threatening,
00:55 then observed how participants reacted to these traits
00:57 in themselves and others.
00:59 They found that people who repressed their emotions
01:01 were more likely to deny
01:03 having the threatening trait themselves,
01:05 but they were quick to say someone else had the trait.
01:07 Repressors also avoided talking about the traits
01:10 they found most threatening.
01:12 Interesting.
01:13 So how can you tell whether someone
01:14 is raising a legitimate concern
01:16 or projecting a repressed insecurity onto you?
01:19 The next time you think someone might be projecting,
01:21 ask yourself, do they have this trait themselves
01:24 and try hard to deny or repress it?
01:27 Have they talked about how much they hate this trait before
01:30 or have a strong reaction to it?
01:32 If you answered yes, this might be a projection
01:34 rather than a legitimate concern.
01:36 Reaction.
01:37 Have you ever had a crush on someone
01:39 and didn't want anyone to know?
01:40 If anyone ever asked you if you had a crush on the person,
01:43 what do you do?
01:44 Do you overreact?
01:46 Do you pretend this person is so annoying and disgusting
01:48 that you couldn't possibly like them?
01:51 Well, projection kind of works the same way.
01:54 According to national certified counselor, Tanya Peterson,
01:57 overreaction is a major sign of projection.
02:00 If someone is projecting their insecurities onto you,
02:02 you might notice that they get extremely angry
02:04 or upset with you even when there's no conflict
02:08 and you don't understand why.
02:10 Like all psychological defense mechanisms,
02:12 projection is a response to uncomfortable emotions.
02:16 These feelings can cause someone to blow up at something
02:19 that might seem minor to you.
02:21 If someone has an emotional reaction
02:22 that is disproportionate to the situation,
02:25 they may be projecting this insecurity onto you.
02:29 It may also be a good idea to remove yourself
02:31 from the situation too.
02:33 The blame game.
02:35 Imagine your partner accuses you of cheating
02:37 even though they have no evidence
02:39 and you've never even thought of being unfaithful to them.
02:43 Why would they do this?
02:45 Psychology Today states that this is a common example
02:47 of projection.
02:49 In romantic relationships,
02:50 we might falsely blame our partner for cheating
02:52 when we have the desire to cheat ourselves.
02:55 According to my therapist,
02:57 people often project blame onto others
02:59 in order to feel better about their own problems.
03:01 Have you ever been in a situation
03:03 where someone starts blaming you out of nowhere
03:05 for something that you didn't do?
03:08 This could be a sign
03:09 that they're projecting an insecurity onto you.
03:11 When you realize that someone is projecting,
03:13 you recognize that what they're saying
03:15 has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them.
03:18 Knowing this can help these outbursts sting a bit less
03:21 and help you navigate this type of interaction.
03:24 Now we wanna hear from you, Psych2Goers.
03:26 Has anyone ever projected onto you?
03:28 Be honest.
03:29 Have you projected onto someone else before?
03:32 We hope that after watching this video,
03:34 you'll be able to identify the signs
03:36 that someone is projecting their insecurities onto you.
03:39 Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below.
03:41 And don't forget to like and subscribe.
03:43 Until next time.
03:44 (gentle music)
03:47 (gentle music)
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