projective

[ pruh-jek-tiv ]

adjective

1. of or relating to projection.
2. produced, or capable of being produced, by projection.
3. Psychology. of, relating to, or noting a test or technique for revealing the hidden motives or underlying personality structure of an individual by the use of ambiguous or unstructured test materials, as ink blots, cloud pictures, or cartoons, that encourage spontaneous responses.

projective

/ prəˈdʒɛktɪv /

adjective

1. relating to or concerned with projection

   projective geometry

Derived Forms

• proˈjectively, adverb

Other Words From

• pro·jective·ly adverb
• pro·jec·tiv·i·ty [proh-jek-, tiv, -i-tee], noun
• nonpro·jective adjective
• unpro·jective adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of projective¹

First recorded in 1625–35; project + -ive

Example Sentences

She and Abramson’s team, she wrote, were applying tests of “continuity of personality” to psychedelic patients, “and it looks very promising. I am going to take it—the drug I mean—myself early in November and we are setting it up experimentally with various people making predictions on how it will affect me. So people who have given me projective tests etc are being asked to make sealed predictions. Would you like to make one?”

From Slate

This capacity to falsely redefine others by projecting into them one’s own traits is called projective identification.

From Salon

This primitive process, called projective identification, is evident in his recent statements such as, "There's a level of hatred that I've never seen" in Democrats, and that they are "savage animals; they're people that are sick."

From Salon

Another of his primitive mechanisms is projection and its more severe form, "projective identification."

From Salon

It is not surprising that this manipulation takes the form of fascist-style propaganda, including conspiracy theories about the deep state as well as projective impulses.

From Salon