The Lazy Neighbours Club Psychology Newsletter

Projection is the operating function in the psyche of the person who hates the "lazy" neighbour: Just as the man who hates homosexuals maintains a wall against the homosexual desires in himself, the "hard worker" has a deep urge to put his own feet up, to let things go, to drift and dream, but has chosen to identify with denial of that; to have that in his face increases the energy needed to maintain the denial. How dare that neighbour flaunt what I try desperately to hide!

He feels that he is not allowed to do such a thing--he would lose some essential acceptance by some essential authority-- to be direct, his parent, to be precise, his father. Dad would reject me if I ever did that thing.

And then the paternalistic society, the "soldier on" system itself would reject me. So I will be the rejecter.

Underneath that: Dad already rejected me, and I've tried all my life to win him over.Ergo: if I can't get Dad's love, at least I can be him.