The unconscious at work: how projection shows up in schools

I’d like to argue that psychoanalytic thinking can bring insight when working in schools, especially in parts of teaching life we find puzzling, worrying or particularly emotional.  In understanding unconscious dynamics between pupils or within staff teams, it can help us see what’s really going on underneath the surface.

Here, I explore some common ways in which the process of projection can show up in schools.

What is projection?

Projection is an unconscious process – meaning that it is difficult to be aware of.  Unwanted parts of the personality are perceived to be located in another and related to there.  Essentially, projection is, “It’s not me, it’s you/them.” 

The hallmark of projection is blame and is often a way to rid oneself of something internally seen as too shameful to tolerate.  We can see this all too well in the dynamics around racism and immigration: “‘they’ are the lazy / sexually impulsive and perverse / greedy ones.  I would never be struggling with parts of myself which contain these shameful threads.”

The person or group receiving the projections are often forced to carry it. In the example of racism, the ‘receiver’ is left holding the feelings of shame or inadequacy.  There are real consequences in this dynamic for both parties. 

When might it be helpful to realise when projective dynamics are happening within a human system such as a school?

1.       Anxieties over judgement (assessment, observations, Ofsted):

The high stakes nature of inspections often stirs up a lot of primitive anxiety over fear of failure and loss of control.  If this cannot be contained, especially in the relationship between the senior leaders,  the governors and a key figure such as a SIP, this anxiety becomes projected. 

Inspectors can be perceived as all-knowing and hostile.  Pupils who particularly struggle with behaviour can be perceived as truly out of control and ‘the problem’.  Through interactions with inspectors, these feeling states can be brought about, with inspectors themselves feeling unusually tense or critical. 

What can be helpful?

·       Recognising and naming feelings reduces the possibility of them being acted out.

·       That if there is a strong pull to blame a particular individual, or department, they might be carrying more of the rubbish than they deserve!  It can be tempting, but the good that someone contributes can be ignored and people’s development over time forgotten.

·       Knowing that the job of a school leader is often to contain and think about anxiety, rather than act. 

2.       Projection of the little, neglected self when in a caring role

Why did you get into education in the first place?  Most people will say that they want to make a difference, to help the next generations develop and thrive.  Some will say that a particular teacher made all the different in their lives and they want to pass this on.

Some staff find that by working in a school, they can act as the big one, helping the small ones.  Having people to care for is emotionally important and part of being human.  For many, it can be helpful to reflect on their own childhood and the parts of themselves which may have felt particularly vulnerable.  It may be that many of us are unconsciously going back to help that little person.  Physician, heal thyself.

I was particularly struck by watching The Crown recently.  One could say that Princess Diana found huge relief in projecting her neglected childhood self into children and patients in hospitals, caring for herself there by proxy.  There is no need to be a cynic about this process.  A great deal of good is achieved in the world by positive projective processes such as these. 

However, this can become problematic when overhelping or disempowering pupils.  This can show up in learned helplessness or can play into low expectations. 

What can be helpful?

·       Staff reflecting on their motivations for entering education can be useful in engaging staff in the moral purpose of their day to day work, to feel that every interaction is part of their professional work and really matters to pupils.

·       Engaging staff in having a clear understanding of scaffolding, modelling etc as a vehicle to build pupil independence at a stage/phase appropriate form.  Ensure there is clear messaging that pupils want to do things for themselves, we provide the scaffolds which help them to achieve. 

·       Engage staff in unconscious bias training to build awareness that when it comes to our own actions, we sometimes aren’t sure who is driving the car! 

3.       Projection of vulnerability (bullying)

Probably the most easily recognisable projective process in schools is to do with bullying.  Most people recognise that bullies are often suffering acutely with feelings of vulnerability and poor self-esteem, and these feelings are ‘dealt with’ by getting rid of them.  The intolerable feelings are projected on to a peer: they are the little one, they are the laughable one, not me. 

What can make projective processes particularly difficult to unpick, and particularly damaging, is the idea of valency.  Wilfred Bion’s concept of valency describes a person’s tendency to take up a particular position in groups.  If you have ever thought ‘I’m always the one who speaks first in the meeting.’ or ‘I’m always the one who has to point out…’, you’ve got a sense of your valency for a particular position. 

Bullies are experts at identifying peers who have a valency for the role of victim.  I am not in anyway saying it is the victim’s fault – far from it.  It is an additional cruelty that pupils who already have vulnerabilities can be a good fit for someone trying to get rid of theirs. 

What can be helpful?

·       Empowering victims of bullying so that a sense of inadequacy or vulnerability does not become calcified is very important. 

·       To know that the consequences of childhood bullying often extend into adulthood, impacting quality of life.

·       When engaging with pupils who are bullying, to have very clear boundaries and expectations.

·       To know that bullies need emotional support.

·       To appreciate that bullies are protecting a very fragile self through ‘tough armour’ helps us understand it may be incredibly hard to engage with emotional work which exposes vulnerability.  Acting out, protests, anger and defensiveness are to be expected and predicted. 

If you found this interesting, you may enjoy the following:

The Unconscious at Work: individual and organizational stress in the human services edited by Anton Obholzer

The Learning Relationship: psychoanalytic thinking in education Biddy Youell

The Emotional Experience of Teaching and Learning  Isca Salzberger-Wittenberg, Gianna Williams and Elsie Osbourne