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OP
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I'd like to know if there is a term for when someone calls someone else in a specific insult (let's say "brainwashed, misinformed, sexist", etc), while, in fact, the person using the insult is actually more of those things, however he is seemingly unaware of it.
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The psychological term is Projection I think.
The moral term is Hypocrisy.
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How bout this from the OED
Pecksniffian
1851, after Mr. Pecksniff, unctuous hypocrite in Dickens' "Martin Chuzzlewit" (1844).
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Not to mention inspiring the phrase "the pot calling the kettle black."
Good to see ya, Loggie. It's been too long.
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The psychological term is Projection I think.
The moral term is Hypocrisy. But how could it be hypocrisy if the person is not aware of his own shortcomings in the department when he's insulting someone? Let's say I know someone is more misinformed than me, and he calls me misinformed, so if I use the term "hypocrite" on him, it doesn't make any sense because he's not aware/doesn't think he's misinformed at all. However, if I use the term "the pot calling the kettle black" like Faldage suggested, I think it hits the mark.  See what I mean? Well done, Faldage! Any more such phrases/terms?
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"The phrase "Pot calling the kettle black" is an idiom, used to accuse another speaker of hypocrisy, in that the speaker disparages the subject for a fault or negative behavior that could equally be applied to him or her.." - wikipedia [EA] edit: if you want to get snooty: tu quoque
Last edited by tsuwm; 07/31/08 03:31 PM. Reason: snootiness
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Wow, my age is showing! I must have composed a reply, but for some reason didn't post it, but it included (before Fal) the phrase with the pot, as my Canadian mother used it all the time. She also used "People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones", which I like a lot. Also the phrase "practice what you preach"...
I don't believe you have to be aware that you are being hypocritical to be a hypocrite. It's simply a description and does not include intent. Many hypocrites do not believe that they are such because they have a different way of thinking about it which allows them to view it as non-hypocritical. Many are honestly shocked that someone would think that. :0)
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I think hypocrisy invokes insincerity, so I don't feel it's right to use it because I'd be using it on someone who is in fact completely sincere, except he's unaware that he's a far more guilty of the crime than the one he's accusing. I don't want to invoke insincerity by using the word "hypocrisy", but I think using the term "the pot calling the kettle black" is slightly better although not perfect.
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I agree with 2xsleepy, in fact part of the concept of hypocrisy is a certain lack of self awareness and an uncritical self-righteousness. There may be an unconscious or subconscious knowlege of the hypocrite's own shortcomings, but this is suppressed, often by railing against those shortcomings in others. There is the element of pretence and deceit, it's true, but often it can be self-deceit as well. It's a case of "it takes one to know one" and that is the meaning behind the psychological term Projection. We project onto others our own worst faults, as a self defense mechanism to avoid admitting that we are as bad as we really are.
Hypocrite is a very ancient word, having practically the same force in ancient Greek as it does in English today. To break a compound word into its component parts is sometimes to commit an etymological fallacy, but in this case is probably helpful. 'Hypocrite' comes from the words "over" and "judge" (or condemn) and it means one who sets themselves up as a judge over others, and by implication, an illegitimate or unqualified judge, since they are guilty of the same offences they condemn. That is how Jesus used the word against the Pharisees in the gospels. The accusation was that they judged others as sinners for various infringements of the Law of Moses, when they were themselves guilty of the same or worse offenses.
I think the best word to describe the phenomenon described by the OP is Projection.
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I didn't know what you all mean by Projection, until I looked up "psychological projection" and it's perrrrrrfect! Exactly what I was looking for. Real thanks! You actually cracked this up with the first reply now that I realize it, well done.
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