Projection of Reality

A cognitive bias where one projects one's own experience of reality onto the world itself—assuming that the way things appear to one is simply how they are, and that others who experience differently are deluded, mistaken, or lying. Projection of reality operates when someone says "that's not real" about experiences they haven't had; when they dismiss alternative perspectives as fantasy; when they cannot accept that reality might appear differently to different people. The projection lies in mistaking one's own perception for the thing perceived—confusing the map with the territory, the experience with the reality. It closes off understanding of others' experiences, making genuine dialogue impossible because one's own reality is treated as the only reality.

Example: "He'd never experienced discrimination, so he insisted it wasn't real—projection of reality, assuming that what he hadn't seen couldn't exist."

by Dumu The Void March 19, 2026

Projection of Bias

A cognitive bias where one projects the accusation of bias onto others while remaining blind to one's own biases—assuming that bias is something others have, not something that affects everyone. Projection of bias operates when someone says "you're biased" as a conversation-stopper, never acknowledging their own situatedness; when they analyze everyone else's motivations while assuming their own are transparent; when they treat bias as a flaw that only opponents possess. The projection lies in the blindness to self—the assumption that one occupies a privileged position outside the fray, that one's own perceptions are clear while others' are distorted. It's the meta-bias: the bias of thinking oneself unbiased.

Example: "He could list every bias his opponents had but had never examined his own assumptions—projection of bias, treating bias as something others have while remaining invisible to himself."

by Dumu The Void March 19, 2026

Projection of Rationality

A cognitive bias where one projects the claim of rationality onto one's own thinking while denying it to others—assuming that one's own conclusions are the product of pure reason while others' are driven by emotion, ideology, or irrationality. Projection of rationality operates when someone says "I'm being rational, you're being emotional"; when they present their own views as logical and others' as illogical; when they cannot see the values and assumptions embedded in their own reasoning. The projection lies in the invisibility of one's own irrationalities—the assumption that one's own cognitive processes are transparent and pure while others' are opaque and contaminated. It's a form of intellectual narcissism, the belief that one's own mind works the way minds should work while others' are broken.

Example: "He presented every conclusion as the result of pure logic while dismissing her reasoning as emotional—projection of rationality, assuming his values were just reason while hers were just feeling."

by Dumu The Void March 19, 2026

Reverse projection

Rather than aggressively dissociating themselves from that which they are insecure, one who engages in reverse projection will, instead, playfully/pseudo-ironically engage with their insecurities so as to make themselves seem secure.

John didn't want anyone to know he was gay; John new that if he took extreme measures such as avoiding all physical contact with other men (e.g. handshakes, hugs, etc.), he would actually be projecting his insecurity and, in turn, would make it obvious that he was gay, so, instead, he chose to engage in reverse projection, i.e. do playful/pseudo-ironic things such as kissing his male friends or slapping their asses to make it seem as though he was comfortable with his sexuality.

by Living Ass April 12, 2021

psychological projection

1. Projection is the psychological phenomenon where someone thinks everyone else is doing and thinking what they are. It is usually seen as the externalisation of a person's negative traits, placing blame on an outside force such as the environment, a government, a society or other people.
2. Projection can also extend to philosophy and knowledge. This occurs when a person or small group of people assume that everyone else is working with the same ideas and/or information that they are. When this fails to happen, however, it can lead to pluralistic ignorance. A telltale sign of this is when a speaker says that "Everybody knows that...(a certain course of action)" is either beneficial or harmful, so society should avoid an impending catastrophe by following the course of action that the speaker proposes.
3. Another common forum for projection is in internet arguments, where it is usually pathetically obvious to everyone except the projector. The problem is recognized in intelligence analysis, in the form of cognitive traps for intelligence analysis.

Psychological Projection:
-An adulterous husband may think his wife is sleeping around.
-Creationists assert that supporters of evolution are religious zealots, and religious (especially Christian) fanatics assert that atheism is a religion.
-Self-proclaimed 'Ex-homosexuals' may state that all gays are empty, sinful shells of human beings that need repairing so they can be good, God-fearing straights.
-Racists who claim that anyone who criticises them must also be racially prejudiced.
-Swinkin' it.

by unanimous_13 September 23, 2012

Astral Projection

The ability to leave you're body in soul/spirit state.

Last Night I Watched Myself Sleep and then I flew away which refers of the action of Astral Projection.

by mrb20990 April 29, 2011

astro projection

When you spew your soul out of your ass.

I had such a hard astro projection so hard after eating that burrito I ended up in a different demention

by Stouffer021 June 11, 2014