Only Project
The kind of truth that is usually approached in psychology is of correspondence: whether a hypothesis corresponds with an aspect of behavior or physiology. But two further kinds of truth are important: a truth of coherence of several co-occurring processes, as instantiated in simulations, and a truth that is personal, as can occur when people come to know something important about others or themselves. The aim of literature that is artistic is to explore truths of all three kinds in an integrated way, so that deeper recognition may sometimes be achieved. A novel that enables us to understand the psychological principle of projection, in this way, is Apple Tree Yard, by Louise Doughty. As readers run the simulation of this novel in their minds, not only is it entertaining, as the better kinds of detective stories and courtroom dramas can be, but also it enables readers to understand—and resonate personally with—what can happen when a person becomes caught up in a projection motivated by a phantasy.