# Introjection

- Link: https://clearingintheforest.org/introjection/
- Published: 2026-10-20T21:59:07+00:00
- Author: Saal_clearingforest

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[ Freud ](https://clearingintheforest.org/projection/)

Freud's friend →

[ Ferenczi ](https://clearingintheforest.org/introjection/)

Ferenczi's patient →

[ Klein ](https://clearingintheforest.org/projective-identification/)

Klein's rival →

[ Anna Freud ](https://clearingintheforest.org/introjective-identification/)

Klein's patient →

[ Bion ](https://clearingintheforest.org/container-and-contained/)

Feelings on the Move · 2 of 5

# Introjection

Taking someone inside you

SzF

Meet the person

## Sándor Ferenczi

1873–1933

A doctor from Budapest in Hungary and one of Freud’s closest friends. In 1909 they
sailed to America together. Ferenczi was known for being unusually warm and kind
with his patients. That same year he invented the word **introjection**.

## The idea

People don’t just talk to you. Their voices move in. A coach who says “head up!”
can end up cheering you on years later, in your own head. A teacher who said “not
good enough” can move in too. It’s like downloading an app: it keeps running after
you close the store.

Introjection: their voice becomes a voice inside you.

## Has this ever happened to you?

Heard a parent’s words in your head just before doing something?Caught yourself 
saying a phrase exactly the way a grown-up says it?Had a coach or teacher cheer 
you on in your head when they weren’t there?Had a mean comment replay in your head
for days?

**Catch it:** when a voice in your head is harsh, ask “Whose voice is this?” Often
it isn’t really yours.

## Spot it

Jay’s football coach always said “Head up, keep going.” Now, when Jay fails a test,
he hears “Head up, keep going” in his head. What is this?

[ ← Freud ](https://clearingintheforest.org/projection/)

[ Next: Projective identification → ](https://clearingintheforest.org/projective-identification/)

▸ For grown-ups: sources

This is a psychoanalytic idea (Freud, Klein): a useful way of describing what can
happen between people, not a mechanism measured by brain scans.

[Ref: Ferenczi S. (1909) Introjection and transference. In: First Contributions 
to Psycho-Analysis. London: Hogarth Press, 1952]

Written by **Dr Saal Seneviratne**, Consultant Psychiatrist at [The Burlington Clinic](https://www.theburlingtonclinic.com),
London · Last reviewed 21 October 2026 · [About these pages](https://clearingintheforest.org/about/)