What does projection typically represent in psychological terms?

Projection is a defense mechanism that involves attributing one’s own undesirable thoughts, feelings, or motives to another person. This psychological concept helps individuals cope with emotions or beliefs they find difficult to accept in themselves. For example, someone who harbors feelings of jealousy may accuse others of being envious, thereby relieving themselves of uncomfortable feelings.

As a defense mechanism, projection operates unconsciously, allowing individuals to avoid facing their own shortcomings while simultaneously displacing the blame onto others. This process serves to maintain self-image and manage anxiety by externalizing their internal conflicts. Understanding projection is critical in psychological contexts as it reveals how people may distort reality and their interactions with others to protect their self-esteem.

The other options, while related to psychological processes, do not fit the definition of projection as precisely as the notion of a defense mechanism. Self-deception pertains more to the process of lying to oneself, identity crisis involves a struggle for self-understanding and personal against collective identity, and conflict avoidance refers to the tendency to evade confrontational situations rather than projecting one's feelings onto others.