diff between displacement vs projection? - 1128

[ArchivalUser]

please explain the difference between displacement vs projection

[ArchivalUser]

Displacement is when emotions you feel towards one thing are directed towards another, for example I got in trouble at work by my boss and that made me angry at my boss, but then I go home and yell at my wife, (but I really wanted to yell at my boss) that is displacement.

Projection is when you literally "Project" your own ideas, thoughts or feelings and present them as someone elses ideas thoughts or feelings. For example, a little girl is saying goodbye to her daddy as he is walking out the door. She has a doll in her hand, and goes up to her dad at the door and says daddy doll is going to miss you, when infact is is the daughter that is going to be missing the daddy. Another example of this (a good example I have read) is when a woman comes to a physician and says that her son is doing drugs, and then the physician thinks about his own son who also does drugs, and asks the lady, "don't you want to just slap your son sometimes?" This is something he wants to do, but is projecting his feeling to what the lady might want to do.

Hope that clarifies things, if anyone has an easier way of explaining this by all means, please share.

[ArchivalUser]

Projection involves attributing one's own traits, feelings, and attitudes to someone else.

For example, if I doubt my own ability in passing step 1, I might criticize that same point in others who are preparing for the test.


Displacement involves the automatic transferring of a wish or an affect from one object to a substitute.
Source stays the same......the target changes
Redirected emotions, phobias, scapegoat.............

For example, I am angry at my spouse, so I take it out on my kid instead.

[ArchivalUser]

thank you i really appreciate it. much clear now)

[ArchivalUser]

To me this doesn't seem very important but make sure to look at the words themselves for help. Displacement is simply expressing a feeling that was given to you on to someone else. So it is basically a displaced REACTION.
Projection, in my opinion, can be argued to encompass displacement for what is a reaction if not an internal feeling which is expressed? However I think the distinction between the two terms lies on this subtle difference of it being a feeling that was planted upon you, and thus elicited a reaction (displacement) and a feeling which is not a reaction and arises organically. To me this is what makes the difference between projecting and displacing.
Hope it helps.