Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Health & Society
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • University Statements
  • Syracuse University Impact
  • |
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Health & Society

Defensive Projection: One Possible Explanation Behind Eric Schneiderman’s Alleged Behavior

Friday, May 11, 2018, By Daryl Lovell
Share
College of Arts and Sciences

Former New York attorney general Eric Schneiderman made headlines this week after allegations surfaced from multiple women claiming he subjected them to nonconsensual physical violence. The latest story in a familiar string of allegations against prominent figures and people in power begs the question – is there a common motivating factor behind this type of behavior?

Leonard Newman is the associate chair of psychology at Syracuse University’s College of Arts and Sciences. Speaking in general terms, Dr. Newman says defensive projection could account for why people sometimes turn out to be guilty of the things they vigorously condemn in others.

Newman says:

“Social psychologists have conducted quite a lot of research on power’s effects on how people think and behave. A theme of a lot of that research is that power can lead people to be more egocentric and self-serving. That makes itself felt in lots of ways. For example, powerful people expect people to like and accept them, and are less sensitive than others to cues suggesting that someone is rejecting them. And even more than the rest of us, when powerful people are not sure about how someone else feels about something, they’re likely to just assume that the other person is feeling the same way that they are. The relationship between these biases and sexually harassing subordinates is probably obvious.

“When people worry that they might have violated their own norms and standards—like when people fear that they might have somehow behaved in an immoral way—it takes a lot of mental work and energy to convince themselves that they haven’t, and to keep from being aware of how they might not be the wonderful people that they’d like to be. Paradoxically, this can cause you to be even more pre-occupied than you already were with thoughts about the awful behavior you might have engaged in. That makes you quick to spot your own possible flaws in others. This is called defensive projection, and it probably accounts for why people sometimes turn out to be guilty of the same things they vigorously condemn in other people.”

 

 

 

To request interviews or get more information:

Daryl Lovell
Media Relations Manager
Division of Communications and Marketing

T 315.443.1184   M 315.380.0206
dalovell@syr.edu | @DarylLovell

820 Comstock Avenue, Suite 308, Syracuse, NY 13244
news.syr.edu | syracuse.edu

Syracuse University

  • Author

Daryl Lovell

  • Recent
  • Doctoral Candidate Wins Grant for Research on Infrastructure, Violence and Resistance in Pakistan
    Friday, August 1, 2025, By News Staff
  • Co-President of Disability Law Society Eyes Career in National Security Law in Washington
    Thursday, July 31, 2025, By Jordan Bruenger
  • Lender Center New York Event Gathers Wealth Gap Experts
    Wednesday, July 30, 2025, By Diane Stirling
  • After Tragedy, Newhouse Grad Rediscovers Her Voice Through Podcasting
    Wednesday, July 30, 2025, By Chris Velardi
  • Back-to-School Shopping: More Expensive and Less Variety of Back-to-School Items
    Tuesday, July 29, 2025, By Daryl Lovell

More In Health & Society

Bringing History to Life: How Larry Swiader ’89, G’93 Blends Storytelling With Emerging Technology

Instructional design program alumnus Lawrence “Larry” Swiader ’89, G’93 has built a career at the intersection of storytelling, education and technology—a path that’s taken him from the early days of analog editing as a student in the S.I. Newhouse School…

4 Maxwell Professors Named O’Hanley Faculty Scholars

The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs announced the appointment of four new O’Hanley Faculty Scholars: Brian Brege, Sarah Hamersma, Yüksel Sezgin and Ying Shi. Selected in recognition of their exceptional teaching, scholarly achievements and service to the institution,…

The Racket About Padel: Newhouse Students Partner With Global Media Firm to Track Rise of Sport

Why all the racket about Padel? Students and faculty in the Newhouse School of Public Communications collaborated with a global communications consulting firm to release a report about the emerging sport’s rapid rise in popularity. The report, “Celebrities, Community, Content,…

Fact or Fiction? The ADHD Info Dilemma

TikTok is one of the fastest-growing and most popular social media platforms in the world—especially among college-age individuals. In the United States alone, there are over 136 million TikTok users aged 18 and older, with approximately 45 million falling within…

Lab THRIVE: Advancing Student Mental Health and Resilience

Lab THRIVE, short for The Health and Resilience Interdisciplinary collaboratiVE, is making significant strides in collegiate mental health research. Launched by an interdisciplinary Syracuse University team in 2023, the lab focuses on understanding the complex factors affecting college students’ adjustment…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • Facebook
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Youtube
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2025 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.