- projection is the unconscious process of attributing your [[{1.3b1} a complex is a split fragmentation of the self that distorts our perception of reality|complexes]] onto other people or the external world; what you cannot see in yourself, you perceive as coming from someone else. - projection of our complexes is often how we first encounter [[{1.5b} the personal unconscious]]. - amplified overreactions, compulsive behaviors, and black-and-white thinking can be a sign that you are operating from a complex rather than responding authentically to what’s actually in front of you. - you might see someone as all good or all bad, or reduce them a single attribute (either positive or negative), or you might feel frustrated when they don’t embody the image you’ve created about them. - we can limit projection by understanding that we often act in the same ways we judge or condemn; likewise, in the case of a positive aspect (i.e, putting someone on a pedestal), we have to develop those attributes within ourselves. - however, “the psyche is alive and as our conscious attitude changes, the unconscious reacts.” (pg 28)