If You Spot It You Got It – How We Distort Reality With The ‘Blind Spot’ Of Our Projections

This article is a good follow up to a post I entitled ‘Changing The Way We See’. The articles ‘Revolutionary! How Step 10 Suggests A Novel Response Ability When We’re Disturbed’ as well as ‘Make A U-Turn As We Seek To Understand Our Part(s) In A Disturbance’ are also quite relevant to this topic of projection and blind spots.

So much of what we perceive ‘out there’ externally can be a projection of what we have not yet resolved ‘in here’ internally.

This is another of many articles that suggests we move beyond believing our judgements about people, places, and things (including ourselves) as we embrace (with God’s help) a curiosity that seeks to question these judgements with compassion and gain clarity. The Set Aside Prayer may be a useful way to begin this critical self examination process.

Herb K in his article describes this clarity this way with the analogy of seeing through a new lens or new pair of glasses.

“In prayer for guidance, we take inventory of the obstacles within ourselves. This begins to remove these impediments to the relationship with Spirit within ourselves. We consciously look at what we’re unconsciously looking through. Thus, we begin to objectively see the lens through which we look that has produced our subjective interpretation of reality. This results in a shift in the way we see, which changes what we see. This allows us to move a step closer to seeing reality as it is – rather than as a projection of who we are.”

– Bruce M

---

In Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), “projection” primarily refers to a psychological defense mechanism where alcoholics attribute their own unacceptable feelings, faults, or behaviors (like blame, selfishness, or addiction) onto others to avoid self-awareness and responsibility, often shifting blame for their actions or creating distorted realities; AA’s steps, particularly Step 7, aim to confront these ego defenses for genuine recovery

. What Projection Means in Addiction & AA

• Defense Mechanism: Projection allows addicts to deny their own shortcomings at seeing them in others.
• Blame Shifting: Instead of admitting “I have a drinking problem,” a person might say, “You make me drink” or “My partner’s behavior causes my addiction”.
• Self-Centeredness: Addiction fosters self-centeredness, and projection protects this, preventing accountability.
• Denial of Reality: It involves distorting reality to protect the ego and maintain the ability to use substances, leading to irrational beliefs. 

Examples of Projection in AA Context

• Accusing a spouse of being the problem when the individual is the one with the substance abuse issue.
• Claiming others are manipulating you when you are the one being manipulative.
• Denying your own selfishness by seeing it in your family members. 

How AA Addresses Projection

• Self-Examination (Steps 4 & 10): Identifying these defense mechanisms like projection as “character defects”.
• Humility (Step 7): Humbly asking a Higher Power to remove these shortcomings, including the tendency to project.
• Living in the Present: Focusing on “one day at a time” helps break cycles of dwelling on the past or anxiously projecting into the future.
• Taking Responsibility: AA encourages accountability for past harms rather than projecting blame. 

Projection vs. Planning (AA Perspective)

• Planning: Creating realistic, positive plans for daily life (e.g., appointments, budgets).
• Projection (AA’s View): Creating unrealistic expectations or believing something will happen without effort (e.g., “My finances will fix themselves,” or “I’ll have the best holiday ever”).