meta: asuka & projection.
psychologically healthy and unhealthy individuals alike utilize ego defense mechanisms, which can be described as unconscious coping strategies employed to ameliorate one’s existence. asuka, who is not relatively healthy in the psychological sense, utilizes multiple ego defense mechanisms, such as suppression and regression in regards to her traumatic past, transference in regards to her feelings for kaji and shinji, and scapegoating with rei. however, projection is her primary method of ego management. one can observe this mechanism in her treatment of shinji and rei, both of whom display traits that asuka finds repulsive in herself. whenever shinji speaks in a self - deprecatory manner, asuka expresses frustration. whenever rei submits to maltreatment, asuka expresses fury, and projects her own feelings of vulnerability onto her. it is later revealed in this clip that, while she does harbor negative feelings for shinji, rei, misato, and her parents, the person she despises the most is herself. she projects her self loathing onto others and outwardly displays animosity for her environment, her circumstances, her parents, her authorities, her peers, and ultimately, the world. alternatively, she projects feelings of hope onto kaji, essentially idolizing him as a messianic figure in her life until she comes to terms with the harsh reality that nobody truly cares as much for her as she wishes they would.