As a psychodynamic psychotherapist with over four decades of practical experience, there is a principle in human psychology called ‘projection.’ It is defined as “the mental process by which people attribute to others what is in their own minds.” This often shows up when people blame others for the things they subconsciously don’t like in themselves.
The other evening, a speech was given to our nation which was a perfect example of this psychological pitfall, claiming that a political rival’s policies and supporters were a threat to our democracy. The foundation of democracy is the opportunity for people to freely decide representatives to govern or lead them based on an exchange of ideas and principles embraced by those representatives. Competition of ideas is how democracy works. Trying to delegitimize the opposition may unfortunately be part of the political process, but it needs to be accurate and substantive to be an effective way to win my support.
Paul MacVittie
Newbury