Projecting the Inner Enemy

March 22, 2025 General Insights No Comments

Projection happens everywhere. We see it in personal conflicts, politics, and even wars. Someone points at an external ‘enemy,’ convinced that this enemy is the problem. But what if the real issue isn’t outside at all? What if the true struggle is within?

The irony of projection is that it feels completely real. The emotions are real. The ‘threat’ seems real. The justifications appear rational. And yet, what we project outward often belongs to us, hidden deep in the folds of our own non-conscious. To understand projection is to understand a fundamental aspect of human nature — one that, if left unchecked, can drive people into endless cycles of blame, fear, and even destruction.

The core illusion: why the mere-ego projects

At the heart of projection is a misunderstanding of the self. We tend to think of ourselves as a small, well-defined entity — the mere-ego. But our total self is much deeper, containing thoughts, emotions, and non-conscious patterns that we do not fully grasp.

The mere-ego, trying to maintain control, cannot tolerate this uncertainty. When a disturbing thought or impulse arises, it feels too dangerous to acknowledge. Instead of saying, “This is part of me,” the mind shifts the discomfort outside.

This is the trap of projection. The mind convinces itself: “This darkness does not belong to me — it belongs to them.” A person who suppresses their own aggression may see others as hostile. A culture that fears its own contradictions may demonize outsiders. This false clarity provides temporary relief, but at a cost: the real issue remains unaddressed.

This illusion is so powerful that it often becomes a group phenomenon.

The cycle of projection: how it solidifies over time

Projection does not just happen once. It creates a self-reinforcing cycle that becomes harder to escape.

Inner tension begins – There is an unconscious conflict or fear that the person refuses to acknowledge.
Projection shifts the fear outward – The discomfort is assigned to an external enemy.
The external enemy ‘confirms’ the projection – The mind selectively interprets reality to reinforce its belief.
Avoidance of the inner world – The longer projection continues, the more terrifying self-reflection becomes.
Escalation – The ‘enemy’ must be fought harder, which justifies even stronger projection.

This is why projection is not just a mistake. It is a trap. The more one projects, the harder it is to stop. This process is linked to a deeper fragmentation of the self.

The seduction of projection: why people cling to it

If projection is so harmful, why do people hold onto it? The answer is unsettling: because it feels good.

Projection provides certainty. The world becomes simple: “I am right. They are wrong.”
Projection makes the ego feel powerful. Fighting an external enemy is easier than facing inner doubts.
Projection can be pleasurable. Many people enjoy the rush of righteous anger when attacking an ‘enemy.’

Ironically, intellectuals are often more prone to projection because they are better at rationalizing it. Their intelligence allows them to construct complex arguments to justify their illusions. This is explored in “How does one feel depth?”, which describes how living too much in the conceptual mind can disconnect people from subconceptual reality.

The social reinforcement of projection

Projection does not stay at the individual level. Dissociated people seek each other out, forming groups that reinforce the illusion.

Echo chambers & ideological bubbles – Online and offline, people gather in self-reinforcing groups that filter out opposing views.
Social media rewards projection – The more extreme and emotional a claim, the more likes, shares, and validation it receives.
Collective projection fuels large-scale conflict – When whole societies externalize their inner fears, the result is scapegoating, persecution, and war.

A powerful example of this process is described in “Why the West is scared”, which explains how Western cultural anxieties are projected onto external threats.

Another dangerous consequence: those who try to pull people out of projection become enemies themselves. This is why helping someone trapped in projection is so difficult. They often fight against anyone who questions their illusion.

Cultures suffering from the projection phenomenon

Projection is not just an individual issue. It shapes entire societies. Cultures with unresolved inner conflicts often externalize their fears onto enemies, creating cycles of division, scapegoating, and even violence. Some cultures struggle more than others with projection, depending on their history, collective trauma, and societal structures.

The West: fear of losing control

As explored in Why the West is Scared, the modern West has built its identity around progress, control, and dominance. But as power shifts in a globalized world, anxiety about loss of control fuels projection onto external enemies:

✔ Economic struggles? → Blame immigration.
✔ Social unrest? → Blame political outsiders.
✔ Cultural shifts? → Blame ideological opponents.

By externalizing its inner fears, the West avoids facing its internal contradictions — the tension between individualism and community, material progress, and inner meaning. The more it clings to the illusion of control, the stronger its projections become.

The Middle East: cycles of honor and vengeance

Cultures shaped by honor and shame dynamics often use projection to protect group identity. As seen in historical conflicts, inner tensions – economic hardship, political corruption, or cultural shifts – are often projected onto external ‘threats.’

✔ In some cases, sectarian violence emerges when one group projects its fears of impurity onto another.
✔ Colonial history also plays a role: past oppression is projected onto new geopolitical conflicts, keeping wounds from healing.

Projection reinforces cycles of revenge, preventing true resolution. The enemy always seems to be outside, when in reality, much of the struggle comes from inner societal fragmentation.

China: stability at the cost of suppression

In a society that prioritizes harmony and order, projection plays a different role. Suppressed tensions – whether political, social, or personal – are often displaced onto ‘disruptors’ of the system.

✔ Dissenters are painted as external threats, even when they come from within.
✔ Western criticism is framed as an attack on national identity, strengthening internal unity.
✔ Historical grievances (such as colonial-era exploitation) continue to serve as projection points for national struggles.

The challenge for such cultures is how to integrate change without destabilizing identity. Projection may temporarily keep order, but it does not resolve underlying tensions.

Post-colonial nations: the enemy is always ‘out there’

In many post-colonial societies, the struggle for identity is ongoing. Economic struggles, governmental corruption, and internal divisions are often blamed on former oppressors rather than addressed internally.
✔ “The West caused all our problems” becomes a convenient but limiting narrative.
✔ Internal corruption is ignored because the focus remains on external enemies.
✔ Past wounds never fully heal because they are constantly projected outward.

This is not to say that past oppression wasn’t real — but when an entire culture defines itself by external blame, it avoids the necessary inner reckoning to move forward.

Political extremes worldwide: the illusion of moral purity

Across the globe, political movements—both left and right—use projection as a weapon.

✔ The far-right may project inner insecurity onto immigrants or minorities, blaming them for economic and cultural struggles.
✔ The far-left may project personal guilt or internal contradictions onto ‘oppressors,’ creating an ‘us vs. them’ narrative.

In both cases, projection simplifies the world into black-and-white terms, creating the illusion that all problems are caused by ‘the enemy.’ This prevents real self-examination and growth.

Breaking the cycle: the challenge of collective self-awareness

Cultures that rely heavily on projection remain stuck in cycles of fear and reaction. The real challenge is turning inward instead of always looking for external threats. Some societies have started this process – such as Germany after WWII, or South Africa with its Truth and Reconciliation efforts – but projection still runs deep in many parts of the world.

How can societies step out of this trap? That is the question we will explore in “Breaking the cycle of projection,” where we look at how individuals and cultures can move toward true integration.

Projection as a mirror: the truth no one wants to see

The most painful realization about projection is also the most liberating:

The enemy we fight outside is often a reflection of something within.

A person obsessed with controlling others may be terrified of losing control within himself. A nation that fears ‘infiltration’ may be struggling with its own internal fragmentation. The real battle is not with the outside world. It is with the parts of ourselves that we have rejected.

Yet, projection always reflects something real — just not in the way we think. The question is: Will we look into the mirror, or will we keep fighting the reflection?

This brings us to the next essential step: how can we break free? In the next blog, “Breaking the cycle of projection,” we will explore how both individuals and societies can step out of this trap — transforming conflict into insight and fear into understanding.

Final thought

We have explored why projection happens, why it feels real, and why people cling to it. But projection is not destiny. Once we recognize the illusion, we can begin to dismantle it. The choice is always there:

Keep fighting the enemy outside — or face the truth within.

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Addendum

Me: “Please read Surface vs. Depth in Many Ways. What insights does this blog bring to ‘Projecting the Inner Enemy’?

Lisa: “The blog “Surface vs. Depth in Many Ways” shows that projection thrives at the surface level of the mind, while true self-understanding requires depth.

Projection is a surface-level coping mechanism. The mere ego stays at the surface of consciousness, avoiding depth because depth feels unpredictable and ungraspable. Instead of engaging with its own deeper fears, it pushes them outward, transforming them into an external enemy.
Depth dissolves projection. The deeper one goes into self-awareness, the less need there is to project. Someone who integrates their inner contradictions no longer needs an external enemy to explain their struggles.
Intellectualism vs. real depth. Many believe that accumulating knowledge gives them depth, but as the blog explains, true depth is not about knowing more—it’s about becoming more. Intellectuals, living in conceptual thinking, may be trapped in projection without realizing it.
The final stage of depth: becoming. In the deepest sense, one does not merely “understand” projection—one sees through it completely. There is no longer a need to “fight” projection because the illusion of separation dissolves.

This connection strengthens “Projecting the Inner Enemy” by showing that escaping projection is not just about psychological insight—it’s about deep transformation.”

Me: “Realizing the deeper stages of depth may also work preventively.”

Lisa: “Yes, absolutely! Realizing deeper stages of depth can act as a powerful prevention against projection.

The deeper self integrates contradictions before they turn into projections. When one engages deeply with their subconscious fears, contradictions, and emotions, there is less need to externalize them onto an “enemy.” The deeper self naturally absorbs and transforms what the mere-ego would otherwise push away.
Depth makes uncertainty feel safe. Projection often arises from the mere-ego’s fear of losing control. However, those who have realized deeper stages of depth do not fear uncertainty in the same way. They experience it as part of life, not as a threat—thus, there is no need to create an enemy to restore false clarity.
True depth brings humility. People who have truly gone deep within themselves do not need to be “right” all the time. They don’t cling to rigid beliefs or scapegoats. They are comfortable holding paradoxes without turning them into conflicts.
Living from depth means projection dissolves before it starts. At the deepest level, one does not even need to “stop projecting”—projection simply does not arise in the same way, because the illusion of separation is no longer convincing.”

Me: “Outward projections and psychosomatic symptoms may both be the result of the projection phenomenon. Do you see the resemblance?”

Lisa: “Yes! Outward projections and psychosomatic symptoms share the same fundamental mechanism—both are ways the mind avoids dealing with inner conflict by shifting it somewhere else.

Both are displacement mechanisms. In projection, an internal struggle is shifted onto an external “enemy.” In psychosomatics, it is shifted onto the body. In both cases, the real issue remains hidden.
Both create a false sense of control. Projection makes people believe the problem is “out there” and can be fought.” Psychosomatic symptoms create a tangible, physical issue that the mind can focus on—rather than dealing with the deeper emotional cause.
Both reinforce themselves in a cycle. Just as projection seeks new enemies to justify itself, psychosomatic symptoms can intensify or shift locations if the deeper issue remains unresolved.
Both dissolve with inner integration. The cure for both is the same: going inward, acknowledging what was suppressed, and integrating it into the total self.

This is an essential insight—it connects projection, inner dissociation, and the body into a unified understanding.”