Introjection: Your brain's emotional wifi hotspot.

Someone entered my office the other day and said, “I feel like I hotspot other people’s feelings” – a powerful digital metaphor to explain a fundamental psychological concept. 

The psychological process of introjection describes how we may unconsciously absorb the feelings and even aspects of the personalities of others – leaving us to carrying burdens that don't truly belong to us. Just as a Wi-Fi hotspot picks up signals, we can internalize the anxieties, criticisms, and self-doubt of influential figures in our lives. It's as if we've mentally 'swallowed' something that isn't fully our own.

Like hotspot connections, these internalizations don't always come from direct, face-to-face interactions. It can also reach us through proximal contact, like distressing phone calls from home about a domestic violence dispute, or even distal contact, such as witnessing a friend persistently share their worries. These external emotional inputs, regardless of our physical proximity to the source, can be readily ingested, impacting our internal state and requiring processing, sometimes with the support of therapy. 

From psychoanalytic theory, the concept of Introjection, drawing from the idea of taking in food, can also be described as an unconscious adoption of something from the 'outside' into our 'inside' (Laplanche & Pontalis, 1973). Rayner (1971 pg.66) observed, this often happens in distressing relationships with loved ones. To avoid blaming them, we might internalize the problem, deciding it's our fault. This 'swallowing' of blame and negative judgments can become a pattern, hindering our self-compassion and well-being.

When these absorbed emotions are negative – the anxieties of a stressed caregiver or the criticisms of an influential figure – they can turn us against ourselves. This introjected negativity can lead us to become our own worst enemy, impacting our focus, well-being, and ability to thrive. Recognizing this "hot-spotting" of negativity with the help of a qualified therapist, is the first step towards cultivating a kinder inner dialogue. 

It's about distinguishing what's truly ours and what we might be carrying from others. 

#Psychology #MentalHealth #Therapy #EmotionalWellbeing #SelfAwareness #psychologistinsummerstrand #psychologistinPortElizabeth #psychologistinPE