What Is Social Projection?

Edward Lemay, a psychologist at the University of Maryland, says social projection is a bias where people assume others are more like them than they really are. In romantic relationships, people use themselves as the reference point for understanding a partner.

People overestimate how similar a partner's personality is to their own. The pattern covers positive traits, like being warm and outgoing, and traits people tend to view negatively, like being moody, judgmental, or lazy. It also shows up in values. If someone values tradition, equality, independence, or wealth, they tend to assume a partner values tradition, equality, independence, or wealth as well.

Projection of feelings about the relationship can have especially strong consequences. When someone cares a lot about a partner and feels close, they might assume the partner feels the same way in return. When someone does not care for a partner, or is interested in people outside the relationship, they might assume the partner has the matching feelings in return. The bias shows up for positive and negative qualities, and for personal qualities as well as qualities most tied to the relationship.