Another term for the phenomenon of projection is participation mystique. Like projection, a person or group of people can unwittingly place themselves under a spell.
This so-called spell can be anything: an idea, person, or thing. One becomes so preoccupied that one's own sense of self is momentarily taken up by the object of obsessive interest.
Group Identification Occurs
Examples of a person or groups of persons under the spell of participation mystique occur when one person or a group is so under the spell that anyone who does not agree with their idea might be seen as a threat.
This can occur in all areas of life. Another word for this phenomenon is “projective identification.”How and why does this strange phenomenon exist?
Beginning of Objects Relation Theory
The term participation mystique was originated by anthropologist Levy-Bruhl to describe a type of relationship in which the boundaries between a person and an object (thing) are blurred. This could be observed in so-called primitive cultures where certain objects treated as holy artifacts were seen as filled with the spirit of their owners or worshipers.
Jungian Projection Psychology
Carl Jung adapted the term in 1912 to describe the phenomenon of projection he observed wherever a person sees in another qualities that he or she possesses. These qualities, in most cases, are not even recognized by the person and yet a bond of identification is felt without understanding why. (This bond can be based on positive or negative attributes and likewise its affect.)
Object Relations at Work in Politics and Religion
A fusion between the subject and the object of perception is fairly common in many fields of life beyond relationship. It can also be seen at work to a great extent in politics and religion. Wherever one becomes passionately identified with a cause, ideology, belief system, or person this same phenomenon seems to be in play.
One’s identity fuses with the cause or belief system disallowing careful considered thought outside their “projective identification.” One's opinions might appear to others as stuck or rigid.
Caught in the Spell of Participation Mystique
There is no reasoning with a person caught in the spell of participation mystique. One can offer the most clear cut evidence yet the projective identification with that belief or point-of-view blocks rational analysis or clear thinking.
A person caught up in this spell would rather die or injure him or herself than consider new information that might upend their thinking.
Getting Free of Collective Projection
Only when a person is free of this participation mystique can he or she can evaluate the idea on its own merit. This might account for why otherwise intelligent seeming people, not normally driven to “making things up,” can be so caught in their own spells that they can act in ways contradictory to their own best interest.
It is easy to understand why any group brought under the spell of participation mystique, whether it be in the name of a social cause, political or philosophical ideology, if left uninformed and undereducated, can be easily manipulated.
If you are stimulated by this idea and want to learns more, you will enjoy these brief articles: What is Projection in Jungian Psychology, Individuation and Growth of Wholeness, Why Someone is Attracted to Another Person and The Collective Shadow in Jungian Psychology.
Resource:
Samuels, A.,Shorter, B. & Plaut, F. (2003). A Critical Dictionary of JungianAnalysis. New York: Routledge.
 |
 |
