What’s the meaning of Introjection?
Introjection is another ego defense mechanisms where one unconsciously takes in or adopt ideas, attitudes, thoughts, beliefs, emotional reactions and behaviours from the external world (people and groups) and incorporates them into their psychological makeup without a conscious evaluation.
Others’ voices, beliefs, emotional responses and even behaviours now become our own. We later mistake them for our own for introjection tends to blur the boundary between us and others in mind.
Now it’s hard to differentiate;
- Our personal identities from the incorporated identities.
- Our personal ideas from external ones.
- Our personal beliefs from the adopted ones.
- Our personal attitudes to the adopted ones.
- Our authentic voices from the internalized ones.
- Personal aspirations and values from those assimilate from the external world.
These introjected components later come to shape our behaviours, choices , decisions and identities later in life.
History of Introjection.
Most Researchers give credit to Sigmund Freud but the study of introjection was initially introduced by Sandor Ferenczi’s Introjection and transference essay and The meaning of Introduction (1912).
Freud, his daughter Anna Freud, Carl Jung, Melanie Klein and other psychoanalysts would later expound on the subject.
How Introjection protect one against Anxiety.
Like other defense mechanisms, Introjection help individuals to protect the discomfort that may arise from encountering both external and internal threats. They may include cognitive Dissonance that may arise from the problem of ambivalence, Depression, feelings of powerlessness, guilt or shame and external threats such as the fear of judgement, rejection, criticism or physical harassment etc.
Young kids believe there parents are perfect and all knowing so a remark such as ‘ you’re a failure’ will be to automatically introjected without consideration or evaluation since believing otherwise would prove that they’re not which conflicts with the kids belief leading to a Cognitive Dissonance.
Sometimes if the parents are aggressive, adopting their attitudes and behaviours might provide safety or so we believe.
It’s the unconscious tale of “If I become more like them maybe I would escape further future consequences”.
Characteristics of Introjection.
- It’s unconscious in nature for the individual doesn’t say “I’m taking in this belief or trait”. No conscious personal will is involved.
- Introjected elements are not only formed from interactions with Parents but peers, teacher and the general society too.
- With introjection, the boundary line between our own personal elements and those absorbed from the external world get blurred. Eg; It’s hard to distinguish the difference between our own inner voice and the mother’s or teacher’s voice.
- The introjector doesn’t realize they have adopted someone else’s view and hence it become difficult to question or change an introjected belief, idea or identity.
- Introjection can be both positive and negative. Not everything introjected is negative for some can be positive eg; A boy introjecting the father’s voice of “Men should be organized” or introjecting his behavioural trait of reading.
Introjection in Childhood.
Most of our foundation is laid out in childhood with our caretakers, mostly parents. As children, we looked up to our parents and believed they were right and knew better than us. we internalized our parental voices, attitudes and beliefs and incorporated them in our psychological makeup.
These voices and ‘Though shalls’ and ‘Though shall nots’ came to form what was referred to in Freudian psychology as The super Ego. They continued to affect us even in their absence for they become part of our conscience and guiders ie; external control becomes an internal control.
Our parents were both our first supporters and first critics, both our first lovers and first bullies, both our first leaders and our first misleaders.
Mental health professionals say children introject to maintain an illusion of maintaining relationship especially when dealing with unavailable parents/guardians. Sometimes it’s also done to feel less powerless or avoid being wrong.
When the parental voices were highly critical, they later form what was referred to as an Inner Critic that negatively influences the child much later into adulthood. For Instance: “You’ll never amount to anything”. When the parents had a positive influence, the child later comes to form a Healthy Superego.
Parents aren’t however the only players and contribution to a child’s psychological makeup, for other external forces still play a role.
Introjection from The External World.
Children not only introject ideas, thoughts, beliefs and behaviours from the emotional responses they experience, actions they see or words they hear from their parents but also other external influences including Peers, Teachers, Media and even Authority figures in the society. This continues to adolescence and sadly for some, later into adulthood.
Teachers serve as our secondary parents and their voices and behaviours might have a stronger impact, equally to that of our parents. We identify too much with our peers that it becomes easier to introject their attitudes and beliefs out of fear for rejection and being left out.
If the society says ” Girls shouldn’t express their emotions” or “Boys shouldn’t cry” then it’s incorporated in our psychological makeup that it later becomes a structure that guides their behaviours and forms traits. Now the girl finds it hard to express their emotions or set boundaries while the boy find it hard to seek support when in need.
Ideas about success, Beauty and correct behaviours about positive and negative are splashed all over by people conversing, social media and media outlets that makes one introject them out of the fear that comes with standing out. But this is often unconscious in nature for one does not say “Let me adopt this interest or value”
For instance; Mary loved writing and knew she was meant to be a good writer. Growing up, she could hear voices of people claiming that a good career is one that pats alot and offers a hugh position. Unconsciously, Mary later developed interest in being a lawyer – an interest that was a but separate from her own authentic personal interest of being a writer. The decision to become a lawyer was, According to mary, her own volition unaware that the external world had an effect. The external voice became too louder than her own authentic inner voice that was now whispering from the back.
Carl Jung , the great sage, said that the world will ask you who you are and if you don’t know the world will tell you. Sadly most of the thoughts, beliefs, ideas and identities we introject started to be incorporated in our psychological makeup before we developed the capacity to have independent thoughts and form our own distinct ideas and personalities.
- Introjection of Religious Concept.
Religion is a group of people with a common belief. In case of a spiritual religion like say, Christianity, there are the right or wrongs we’re taught. Failure to adhere to these standards may lead to punishment from God. To avoid the consequences, we introjected some of the “Though shall and shall nots” for instance; When one is taught that ‘Sex is dirty’ and they introject that which may continue to affect their traits and behaviours such that they may be afraid of conversation to do with sexuality and see the guilt affect their sexual lives with their partners.
We also adopt good beliefs and attitudes from the Religious teachings such as being obedient to our parents, respecting elders and not stealing or murdering.
- Introjection from the authority in the society.
We trust the authority alot for they know and are more like our parents. We believe they know and are right. These may be our leaders, Experts or even the most notable individuals in the society.
By adopting their ideas, we become more like them and hence reduce our own feelings of powerlessness.
The authority bias can well be explained by the Milligram’s experiment performed in 1962 at Yale University where the experiment saw students taking absurd orders just because it was conveyed by a man in the white lab coat. Authoritative institutions, marketers and big corporations are all aware of this and use it to their advantage in pursuit of profits.
We can also introject positive ideas and beliefs from the heros we admire in the society. For instance; A young male who loves Charles Bukowski and wish to be more like him but is just starting out introjecting his favourite artist’s quote of “If you’re going to try then go all the way otherwise don’t even start” unconsciously which makes him push against obstacles presented in his way and see him picking himself up after failures.
- Introjection from Social Media.
Introjection doesn’t just happen in the physical world but the virtual world too. We adopt attitudes and beliefs from those we believe are similar to us unconsciously. Research shows that Cognitive overload and anxiety makes our brains to be highly suggestible for introjecting and absorbing information without filtering due to the decline in the mental resources required to filter information.
Sadly social media platforms have become hurbs for all rational and irrational ideas and behaviours to be displayed. We may find ourselves imitating actions and behaviours that we saw on social media but aren’t aware how we adopted them.
Examples of Introjection in Daily lives
1. A kid introjects his Teacher’s voice of “You’ll never succeed if you don’t work hard”. Without his awareness, this voice still pushes his actions that he become addicted to work later in life ie; A workaholic.
2. A kid may introject her critical mother’s voice of “You’ll never amount to anything” and unconsciously adopts it within that it becomes an inner critic that she carries all around without being aware that this isn’t her voice.
3. A student bullied at school starts acting like the bullies to his juniors or even pets in what Anna Freud termed as identification with the aggressor, inorder to feel more powerful and less helpless.
4. A young child that was exposed to an abusive childhood environment later develops a persimmistic worldview that the world is unsafe or they deserve the bad treatments.
5. One mimicks a hero’s motto or trait to feel more connected with them.
6. Introjection can also happen when processing grief for instance; A child introjecting her late mother’s voice to maintain a sense of connection after her death.
7. A girl raised in a society that says “Girls should always be polite and never raise their voice” unconsciously adopts this attitude and incorporates it in her traits and behaviours. This may make her have weak boundaries and speak in a low and weak tone.
8. Some Mental health professionals claim that young children with unavailable parents/guardians introject some aspect of their parents to cope in their absence. It also helps them to maintain an illusion of relationship.
9. A young kid who saw his Parents feeding each other blows after an argument or conflict may introject this as a way of resolving conflict, which may later manifest in his later relationships including marriage.
10. The common “You’re a failure” remark or “You will never amount to anything” comment is one of the commonly discussed in the self-help industry and here the voice that is introjected unconsciously continues to affect the subject who swallowed it without awareness. No matter the effort, one continues to feel empty of worthless.
11. In Schools when children are punished for failing in exams and unconsciously adopts the idea and belief that ‘Failing is bad and punishable ‘ which may later manifest in their behaviours as they avoid all circumstances that may lead to failure.
Introjection vs Projection.
Introjection might be the opposite of projection in that, unlike in introjection where one incorporates aspects of the external world within, An individual displaces unacceptable impulses and traits within to an external object.
Introjection vs Internalization.
Introjection is oftenly confused with Internalization. They’re both methods through which external aspects are incorporated in one’s internal structure but internalization is more general than introjection which is only unconscious. We can then say all introjected aspects are internalized but not all internalized aspects are introjected.
Identification vs Introjection.
Identification is another psychological defense mechanisms that’s commonly confused to be introjection. Unlike introjection which only includes unconsciously incorporating attitudes, beliefs and voices from the external, Identification involves adopting other aspects from the source of Introjection eg dressing, Talking, career path etc.
Introjection leads to identification.
Effects of Introjection.
There are both positive and negative effects that comes from introjection. Ofcourse the positive ones arise when we incorporate in positive aspects and vice versa. The negative one include;
1. It may alienate us from our authentic selves ie; when we adopt attitudes, beliefs, values and interests that are separate from our own.
2. A harsh inner critic which is an introjected negative voice leads to a pattern of self criticism and low self-esteem.
3. Sometimes and introjected belief or attitude may clash with our impulses leading to a cycle of anxiety and depression. When showing emotions leads to shame in boys due to the introjected voices then it may be difficult to ask for support.
4. It may lead to self-destructive and aggressive behaviours to others and selves when the introjected behaviour become normalized. Sometimes the subject of introjection pass on the introjection object when in a position of power for instance when the child becomes a parent and now the cycle and transaction goes on and on.
Positive effect;
1. We incorporate positive norms and values that help us get along with others.
2. A healthy inner moral compass guides us and make us feel guilty when we wrong someone.
3. By imitating healthy heros in the society, we learn and grow individually.
4. Introjection can also enhance adaptation incase on new environment.