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Compare ItsPersonal. Some particularly devious villains may {{invoke|dTrope}} this [[HannibalLecture when arrested and interrogated to sow suspicion among the heroes]]. Also see TraumaButton.

** In ''Discworld/FeetOfClay'', Captain Carrot confronts one of the plotters behind the plot to poison Lord Vetinari, which has resulted in the accidental murder of two people who lived in Sam Vimes's old neighborhood. When the plotter in question asks if the people killed were "anyone important", Carrot informs him that he should be lucky Commander Vimes wasn't around to hear him say that.

* Also played on ''Series/{{CSI NY}}'' with Lindsay. She had a meltdown when dealing with a case that reminded her of the attack that killed her friends, though she didn't blow up, just ran off and refused to deal until Stella caught up with her.

* In ''Anime/FateZero'', Kirei Kotomine severely struggles with an inability to feel love and happiness and only being able to revel in pain and evil. When he realizes his ArchEnemy Kiritsugu Emiya's situation, which he believed was the same as his, is a complete inversion of his own (Kiritsugu is loved and loves in return, yet switches off his emotions in the name of pure pragmatism when it comes to the chance to save more people) he ''loses it'', feeling Kiritsugu's life is a mockery of his own, raging in incredulity, jealousy and disappointment.

* In ''Literature/{{Animorphs}}'', Tobias has one of these when he spots a couple of kids bullying another boy. He unleashes what he calls a "talon haircut" on them.

* Used twice by Kutner in ''Series/{{House}}''. One episode has him act very sympathetically toward a girl who claims to be orphaned (like him), but when he discovers she lied, the niceness stops. Averted in a later episode, in which Kutner is mean to a teenage JerkJock. Taub assumes that this trope is in effect, but it later turns out that Kutner was acting on guilt caused by his own high school jerkocity.
** Used by Thirteen as she forces parents to tell a young child that he isn't biologically male but could be either sex. Related because of her own unusual sexuality (she's bisexual).
* Sara Sidle in ''Series/{{CSI}}'' tended to lose her objectivity if there was any indication at all in a case that a girl was being sexually abused or exploited. While it's never made explicit, it's strongly implied that she was abused herself.
*** Sara also gets a bit more assertive when there's evidence of domestic abuse. [[spoiler: Her mother got beaten by her father, who eventually retorted by killing him.]]
** Catherine Willows has a similar reaction in any case involving children.
* Also played on ''Series/{{CSI NY}}'' with Lindsay. She had a meltdown when dealing with a case that reminded her of the attack that killed her friends, though she didn't blow up, just ran off and refused to deal until Stella caught up with her.
* Any case in ''Series/BurnNotice'' that involves kids with an abusive father tends to get Michael's full attention.

* ''Series/LawAndOrderSpecialVictimsUnit'' runs on a mix of this trope and ItsPersonal.

[[folder:Theater]]
* Played for Laughs in Creator/GilbertAndSullivan's ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance'': After the pirates let it become known that they have a soft spot for orphans everyone they capture claims to be one, leading one character to observe "You'd think her majesty's entire merchant navy was crewed entirely by orphans!" Naturally, when the pirates find out that "General Stanley is no orphan... and what's worse, he never was!" their wrath is terrible. [[note]]Well, about as terrible as anyone's wrath can get in a comic operetta.[[/note]]

* In ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'', this is the main issue with [[spoiler:Keisuke. After seeing Midori being threatened by the very people she was trying to save moments before, Keisuke is reminded about his own experience when he was younger. He tried to stand up for a smaller boy who was getting bullied at school, but it backfired when everyone started picking on Keisuke instead... including the smaller boy he was just defending. Seeing Midori in a similar position is what drives him to go KnightTemplar on everyone and could cause his death if you don't stop him.]]

Compare ItsPersonal. Some particularly devious villains may {{invoke|dTrope}} this [[HannibalLecture when arrested and interrogated to sow suspicion among the heroes]].

* In an episode of ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'', Lois is on [[Film/12AngryMen jury duty]]. After viciously calling for the conviction of a teenage thief, she realizes that she's projecting her feelings about Francis on the defendant and resigns, but not until she's convinced everyone else and wasted an insane amount of time.
* In the ''Series/{{Monk}}'' episode "[[Recap/MonkS8E2MrMonkAndTheForeignMan Mr. Monk and the Foreign Man]]", Monk takes the case of an African man whose wife was killed in a hit-and-run incident because, as a grieving widower himself, he understands the man's pain. As the episode progresses, it becomes clear that he's letting his emotions about Trudy's death get too close to the case (Stottlemeyer even warns him about this).

* In one ''Series/{{Monk}}'' episode, Monk takes the case of an African man whose wife was killed in a hit-and-run incident because, as a grieving widower himself, he understands the man's pain. As the episode progresses, it becomes clear that he's letting his emotions about Trudy's death get too close to the case (Stottlemeyer even warns him about this).

!Examples:

[[AC:{{Anime}} and {{Manga}}]]

[[AC:ComicBooks]]
* Due to the fact ComicBook/ThePunisher's origin revolves around the death of his family (especially his two young children) if he sees a child being harmed or at risk he tends to flashback to the day of his family's death. [[PapaWolf Then things go horribly, horribly wrong for the abusive party.]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]

[[AC:{{Literature}}]]

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:Theater]]
* Played for Laughs in Creator/GilbertAndSullivan's ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance'': After the pirates let it become known that they have a soft spot for orphans everyone they capture claims to be one, leading one character to observe "You'd think her majesty's entire merchant navy was crewed entirely by orphans!" Naturally, when the pirates find out that "General Stanley is no orphan...and what's worse, he never was!" their wrath is terrible. [[note]]Well, about as terrible as anyone's wrath can get in a comic operetta.[[/note]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]

* In ''VideoGame/DevilSurvivor'', this is the main issue with [[spoiler:Keisuke. After seeing Midori being threatened by the very people she was trying to save moments before, Keisuke is reminded about his own experience when he was younger. He tried to stand up for a smaller boy who was getting bullied at school, but it backfired when everyone started picking on Keisuke instead...including the smaller boy he was just defending. Seeing Midori in a similar position is what drives him to go KnightTemplar on everyone and could cause his death if you don't stop him.]]

* Commander Sam Vimes of the Watch in ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'' often relates a crime to his past of living in the ghetto. Take my advice, don't pick on the poor in Ankh-Morpork if Vimes could find out about it... not healthy for you.

* Due to the fact ComicBook/ThePunisher's origin revolves around the death of his family (especially his two young children) if he sees a child being harmed or at risk he tends to flashback to the day of his family's death. Then things go horribly, horribly wrong for the abusive party.

* In an episode of ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'', Lois is on [[TwelveAngryMen jury duty]]. After viciously calling for the conviction of a teenage thief, she realizes that she's projecting her feelings about Francis on the defendant and resigns, but not until she's convinced everyone else and wasted an insane amount of time.

* In an episode of ''MalcolmInTheMiddle'', Lois is on [[TwelveAngryMen jury duty]]. After viciously calling for the conviction of a teenage thief, she realizes that she's projecting her feelings about Francis on the defendant and resigns, but not until she's convinced everyone else and wasted an insane amount of time.

** Also used by Thirteen in ''House'' as she forces parents to tell a young child that he isn't biologically male but could be either sex. Related because of her own unusual sexuality (she's bisexual).

Compare ItsPersonal. Some particularly devious villains may [[InvokedTrope invoke]] this [[HannibalLecture when arrested and interrogated to sow suspicion among the heroes]].

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* In one episode of ''GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'', Section 9 tracks down a group of [[OrganTheft organleggers]]. Major Kusanagi, herself a full-body cyborg since childhood, gets much more emotionally involved than usual because one patient who was affected by the actions of the thieves was a little 6 year old girl. She even pretends to be a member of the {{Yakuza}} and threatens to kill one of the criminals in order to ScareEmStraight.

* In ''VideoGame/MetalGearRisingRevengeance'', Raiden's fight against Global Marshal takes a turn for the [[ItsPersonal personal]] when he finds out that they've been kidnapping children to convert into cyborg soldiers. Raiden was a child soldier himself, and doesn't hesitate to cut down anyone who would inflict that same fate on others.

* Also played on ''{{CSI NY}}'' with Lindsay. She had a meltdown when dealing with a case that reminded her of the attack that killed her friends, though she didn't blow up, just ran off and refused to deal until Stella caught up with her.
* Any case in BurnNotice that involves kids with an abusive father tends to get Michael's full attention.

* Due to the fact ThePunisher's origin revolves around the death of his family (especially his two young children) if he sees a child being harmed or at risk he tends to flashback to the day of his family's death. Then things go horribly, horribly wrong for the abusive party.

* In ''MurderByNumbers'', the lead loses all objectivity dealing with one of the suspects, Richie, [[spoiler:because his cocky, abrasive demeanor reminds her of her abusive ex.]]

* In one episode of ''GhostInTheShellStandAloneComplex'', Section 9 tracks down a group of [[OrganTheft organleggers]]. Major Kusanagi, herself a full-body cyborg since childhood, gets much more emotionally involved than usual because one patient who was affected by the actions of the thieves was a little 6 year old girl. She even pretends to be a member of TheMafiya and threatens to kill one of the criminals in order to ScareEmStraight.

Compare ItsPersonal. Some particularly devious villains may [[InvokedTrope invoke]] this [[HannibalLecture when arrested and interrogated to sow suspicon among the heroes]].

* Played for Laughs in Creator/GilbertAndSullivan's ''Theatre/ThePiratesOfPenzance'': After the pirates let it become known that they have a soft spot for orphans everyone they capture claims to be one, leading one character to observe "You'd think her majesty's entire merchant navy was crewed entirely by orphans!" Naturally, when the pirates find out that "General Sullivan is no orphan...and what's worse, he never was!" their wrath is terrible. [[note]]Well, about as terrible as anyone's wrath can get in a comic operetta.[[/note]]

Detective Bob is working on a murder case. He brings in one suspect for interrogation, a [[JerkJock rather obnoxious fellow]] named Charlie. During the interrogation, Charlie begins making comments about beating up geeks, jamming them in lockers, and various other stereotypical bully things.

For Bob, this starts to hit home for him, because when he was in high school, he was bullied by folks like Charlie, and they always got away with it. Bob begins to let his emotions about Charlie begin to affect his judgment, and suddenly starts being much [[PoliceBrutality more abusive]] (either verbally or physically) toward Charlie.

Basically, this trope occurs when Bob encounters events similar to something he's gone through before, and his emotions about their original encounter(s) begin to cloud and/or affect his judgment.

For Bob, this starts to hit home for him, because when he was in high school, he was bullied by folks like Charlie, and they always got away with it. Bob begins to let his emotions about Charlie begin to affect his judgment, and suddenly starts being much [[PoliceBrutality more abusive]] (either verbally or physically) toward ol' Charlie.

Of course, this is just one type of scenario. Basically, this trope occurs when Bob encounters events similar to something he's gone through before, and his emotions about their original encounter(s) begin to cloud and/or affect his judgment.