It is like a locked-in affective response. It is false to the extent that it differs from the true image of God revealed in Christ Jesus. Often persons trying to be open to God's communication in prayer are hampered by a false image which influences the way they listen to God. These false images are dependent on their own personal psychological and spiritual history. Imagine the image she would have of her own father and hence, by projection, of God the Father.
Images differ with each person's uniqueness and they interfere in many different ways.
As an example of the way in which a false image can affect a person, take a woman who has a false image of God as grand designer or architect. She cannot experience the presence of God in a personal way. God remains for her outside life looking down on his grand design. This design in the most perfect of all designs and therefore this person only can see herself as trying to fit into this design by hard work and super-efficiency, responsible to keep it going. God, on the outside, allows her to measure up and create herself according to the given design.