ASVAB Practice Test 3

Psychological projection is a defense mechanism in which a person denies attributes in themselves and, instead, attributes those qualities – either good or bad – to another person. For example, a man may have an anger management problem and, instead of acknowledging this problem in himself, blames his wife or partner for not being able to control their anger. He is denying the problem in himself and projecting that inadequacy onto another person. This phenomenon is also seen in cases of bullying where a bully denies his own personal inadequacies by projecting that insecurity onto another person. Projection may also be present in other situations, too, such as politics or interpersonal business relationships.