9/30/10 Thursday

Carl Jung and Projection

Projection, according to Carl Jung, occurs when a person sees in another qualities they themselves possess. This phenomenon goes on daily in most relationships and encounters.

Whenever a person is convinced that the awful qualities seen in another person have nothing to do with him or herself, a projection is mostly likely being engaged. This does not mean, however, that these qualities are not present. It merely means that they probably exist, to some extent, in the person observing them.

Intimate Relationships

A person projects onto another whatever it is they need them to be. Regarding intimate relationship, the inner feminine/anima or inner masculine /animus is seen expressed in the other. That person to whom one is fervently attracted, therefore, is none other than the outer mirror for that person's inner self. The Beloved holds the space, so to speak, for what that person seeks inside themselves.

Understanding the difference between what is true and what is only projection can be a challenge. If a person or group of people has really “gotten under our skin” or the person or situation or thing really “gets to us,” that person is most likely caught up in a projection or spell of some kind. Likewise, that feeling of falling in love, albeit glorious, may be mere projection.

Why Do We Keep Pets?

Article by Sam Vaknin, Ph.D. from globalpolitician.com November 10, 2008.

"The presence of pets activates in us two primitive psychological defense mechanisms: projection and narcissism."

"Projection is a defense mechanism intended to cope with internal or external stressors and emotional conflict by attributing to another person or object (such as a pet) - usually falsely - thoughts, feelings, wishes, impulses, needs, and hopes deemed forbidden or unacceptable by the projecting party.

In the case of pets, projection works through anthropomorphism: we attribute to animals our traits, behavior patterns, needs, wishes, emotions, and cognitive processes. This perceived similarity endears them to us and motivates us to care for our pets and cherish them."

von Franz, Marie-Louise. Projection and Re-Collection in Jungian Psychology: Reflections of the Soul (Reality of the Psyche Series). Open Court Publishers. Chicago, 1995.

The idea of projection onto pets is an area I haven't really examined in my work. It does seem rather obvious to me that it is present in the pet-human relationship. I think we do long to see human characteristics in our pets. This does increase their attractiveness to us. However, I wouldn't go as far as Dr. Vaknin and attach narcissism to the relationship.