PROJECTION

It can be dangerous to get too much into what some call “popular psychology.” But there are aspects of it that carry some important insights about what makes people tick.

I’d like to talk about something that I believe sheds light on what is behind what people sometimes say. It’s called “projection.”

I won’t give a definition of this term. Instead, I will just describe it as our tendency to ascribe something negative to another person while at the same time, consciously or unconsciously, being or doing the same negative thing ourselves.

If we do it unconsciously, it can reflect some kind of lack of self-knowledge.

If we do it consciously, we need to ask ourselves if we are being hypocritical.

Let me give you a few examples.

Can you remember cases in the past where well-known ministers would rail against sexual immorality & alcohol or drug abuse, & they were later discovered to be leading a double life?

In a press briefing early in the Trump administration, Press Secretary Spicer was asked if he planned to tell the truth.

Advocates for various religions & philosophies which compete for influence or control over the peoples of the world have regularly complained about what they call “American imperialism.”

Someone might accuse you of something without any objective basis for that claim. When this happens, there is usually another reason. It might just be that they are projecting their own sins on you.

One thing is sure – the Lord knows.