Attributing personal unacceptable feelings to another person is known as what?

The correct concept described here is projection. Projection is a psychological defense mechanism wherein individuals attribute their own unacceptable thoughts, feelings, or impulses to someone else. This allows them to avoid facing their own uncomfortable emotions or traits by seeing them in others instead. For instance, if someone feels angry but finds that feeling unacceptable, they might accuse another person of being hostile, thus projecting their own feelings onto that individual.

Projection serves as a way to cope with anxiety and maintain self-esteem, as it deflects focus from one’s own issues to the perceived flaws of others. This mechanism often manifests in various interpersonal relationships and can significantly affect communication and understanding between individuals.

In contrast, repression involves unconsciously pushing distressing thoughts or memories out of awareness, denial refers to refusing to accept reality or facts, and rationalization involves justifying one's behavior or feelings with logical reasons rather than the emotional reasons that drive them. While these are all valid psychological concepts, they do not encapsulate the essence of attributing one's unacceptable feelings to someone else, which is the hallmark of projection.