Maybe It’s Not Projection. Maybe Others Are Appropriately Reacting To Your Bad Behaviour And Opinions
‘Projection (of our own shadow) makes the whole world a replica of our unknown face’ Carl Jung
In Jungian psychology, projection occurs when we encounter ‘the hidden’ parts of ourselves which we loathe in another. We make the other person who is openly sharing what we hide into the enemy. Projection remains an unconscious act until we make it conscious through shadow work.
Many times over, I have witnessed the weaponisation of projection on social media. Someone will have an awful opinion. The opinion will receive the appropriate level of outrage. Then, instead of the person sitting with some discomfort that they might be wrong… they throw an adult tantrum and start screaming the cerebral version of ‘I know what you are but what am I?’
In my own practice, when I come across opinions I vehemently disagree with… I sit with them for a few days, at least. I contemplate the opinion from all angles. This has helped me greatly, as I can address whether this is something I myself need to work on, or I can better establish in my mind ‘why’ I feel such strong opposition to the behaviour.
What I see as the weaponisation of projection is one of the very things I sat with for quite sometime. I came to my conclusions why I feel so strongly about this issue, and this is why;
The first problem I see. Weaponising projection conveys a lack of accountability for opinions and actions. This can be very concerning if this individual holds a great deal of power, be it as a coach, or as someone with a lot of influence. Power imbalances need to be handled with care. An opinion can be defended by reason and intellect, and if it can’t be… maybe it’s time to apologise and altar one’s opinions.
The next issue, weaponisation disregards the very nature of ‘the shadow’. The shadow is unconscious. If and when authentic projection surfaces, we are then dealing with the troubling content of the soul. Using aggressive, shaming tactics to elicit shadow work will just drive the shadow deeper. This method only works if the person being accused of projection is adept at shadow work and knows how to bring up shadow content. Pressing someone who doesn’t know how to properly do this is dangerous.
The final reason I’m opposed to weaponising projection is, in my opinion, the most important one. This is also something I have to remind myself of on a regular basis.
Putting oneself in the place of a ‘shadow worker’ means being ready to deal with what others act like when their shadows emerge. Using shadow work as a healing modality is the equivalent of signing up to be an E.R. doctor. Be ready for blood. Be ready for stress. Be ready to see people at their absolute worst.
If someone comes into the hospital with a broken leg. A doctor fixes the leg, they don’t belittle the patient for crying because their leg is broken. A medical professional knows the person is crying because they are in pain, the same goes for healing the psyche.
After looking at projection from every angle, I always came to this conclusion. It doesn’t really matter if another’s large reaction emerged because of a bad opinion… or true projection. Weaponising projection loses either way. Maybe it’s time to focus on fixing the leg… instead of fixating on winning the argument.
Thanks for reading, and as always, do your research.