Projection distorts relationship discernment because the person starts seeing what they fear, need, or want confirmed instead of what is actually present.
Projection overlays the other person with meaning that belongs partly or mainly to the discerner.
Hope becomes evidence. Fear becomes evidence. A familiar pattern gets imposed on an unfamiliar case.
Relationships are especially exposed because intimacy amplifies uncertainty, desire, shame, and memory at once.
Projection is a perception problem first. Later interpretation and evaluation may still look thoughtful. They are operating on a field that was already loaded.
A useful question is: what in this reading belongs to the other person, and what belongs to my prior fear, hunger, or narrative?