Projection describes a way your own feelings, expectations or difficult-to-recognise qualities may contribute to what you perceive in another person or situation.
It is a possibility to examine, not an accusation that makes somebody else’s experience invalid.
"You’re projecting" isn’t a substitute for listening.
Perhaps you expect criticism because it has been familiar. Perhaps the person is actually criticising you. Both can matter.
A useful inquiry asks what you observed, what you contributed to the interpretation and what remains true even after considering your own history.
In Jungian contexts, projection also concerns qualities not fully recognised as one’s own. Someone else’s confidence might irritate you partly because your own wish to speak has been tightly controlled.
I AWAKE makes room for such questions without providing a licence to explain away harm or treat every attraction as proof of a hidden personal trait.
Shadow introduces the Jungian background. Evidence keeps attention on what the actual person did, not only on the story you can tell about your response.
The International Association for Analytical Psychology’s The Shadow discusses material difficult to recognise as one’s own. It provides context for projection without turning the concept into a universal explanation of disagreement.