Psychological projection is a theory in psychology in which humans defend themselves against their own unconscious impulses or qualities (both positive and negative) by denying their existence in themselves while attributing them to others.

We all do it... how could we not?

Indeed all life views their environment through the lens of each individual's biology and experience... obviously. None of us has any direct experience of those around us, but instead rely on sensory input for information about those around us which we interpret and understand based on our own unique circumstances. Therefore, in a very real way, pretty much everything we "know" outside of ourselves can be considered projection to some degree.

I was, once again, pondering the inexplicable aspects of female nature which seem so counter-intuitive to me, and how these cognitively disconnected observations could possibly be so universal among women. I had fallen into the same trap as many of you MGTOWs, and assumed I was simply unlucky, and NAWALT. In a phrase, "How did these monkeys get like this?"

Introspection is always a part of any critical analysis I engage in, as a kind of gut-check in an attempt to avoid deluding myself and reaching spurious conclusions based on my own preexisting assumptions. As I am running down a checklist of potential pitfalls from preconceived notions on my part, this concept of projection seemed a likely candidate which might bias my thinking and lead me down a rabbithole. Just how big of a role does me projecting my own experiences onto women play in my attempts to comprehend the seemingly incomprehensible behaviour of pretty much every woman I have ever interacted with? I had to admit that it's very likely that I am judging women's behaviour by my own very male yardstick which was at the root of my inability to really understand female nature.

If my own projection onto women is true, and I believe it is, then the same must therefore apply both ways, and I must assume that women are equally vulnerable to this psychological trap of projection. This simple observation explains much of the disconnect we all observe on a regular basis.

What started this train of thought was pondering how my ex could possibly live with the knowledge of causing so much pain and suffering by separating me from my child. I just could not bear to live with the guilt of causing this level of damage to innocent people, and I realized I was guilty of projecting my own visceral reaction onto her, and that's when it hit me. The reason she can tolerate the kind guilt I would feel in doing this is because she is projecting her own experience onto me. If the tables were turned, and I was inflicting this kind of suffering onto her, she simply wouldn't be that broken up about it, and she is projecting what her own lukewarm reaction would be, onto me.

For her, it might be difficult, but nowhere near the devastating reaction I am experiencing.

This idea opened the floodgates.

If my reasoning is correct, then it must follow that this same mechanism must also apply to every aspect of our interactions with women.

I married very young and I cheated on her once pretty early on. I was racked with guilt over it and how I assumed she would feel knowing about it, but this was projection on my part. She did find out and acted heartbroken, but I now realize her reaction was feigned. How do I know? She cheated many, many times with no apparent remorse at all. She simply didn't feel bad about her infidelity because she was projecting her own lackluster reaction onto me.

The list goes on and on... it neatly explains all the disconnects I have experienced with women through the years.The seemingly shallow nature of hypergamy; the cock carousel; the fake orgasms... all of it.

Then came the big reveal... these poor creatures never really live full lives at all. They never experience the full range of the adult human experience. Like a watered-down version of the male experience, women sleepwalk through their entire lives thinking that that is all there is. It explains why no great female artists, scientists, philosophers... nothing. The vast majority of women live their lives muted by their biology. They aren't cruel, or vicious, or heartless... they are simply projecting their own mediocre experiences onto men.

For men, and specifically for me, it would be like severe brain damage. I might escape the lowest of the lows, but I would also be giving up the highest of the highs. Regardless of the pain and suffering involved, I cannot imagine never being fully awake and unable to truly appreciate life in all it's amazing variety.

I could have missed the pain, but I'd have had to miss, the dance.