Scapegoat

A scapegoat is a person, group, or entity who is targeted for blame for something he or she was not responsible for.

What Is a Scapegoat?

When something bad happens, people almost always seek an explanation. When people cannot find an explanation or wish to avoid attributing blame to the actual cause, sometimes they turn to a scapegoat. The process of scapegoating can be a long and extensive one. The person assigning blame may enlist the help of others, point to past blameworthy behavior of the scapegoat, or engage in abusive treatment of the scapegoat. Governments involved in scapegoating sometimes embark on propaganda campaigns.  Scapegoats can suffer a variety of negative consequences including loss of social status, economic problems, social isolation, and depression. People are more likely to engage in scapegoating when they are stressed, experiencing oppression, or afraid. Scapegoating, in turn, can lead to the oppression of a scapegoated group.

Examples of Scapegoating

Most people engage in scapegoating at one time or another. A person who blames his or her partner for a burglary because he or she left the door unlocked or left a valuable possession visible is scapegoating. Some scapegoating campaigns, however, have been so extensive that they have had disastrous sociopolitical and human rights consequences.

For example, in the 1940s, after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the United States began an anti-Japanese propaganda campaign and imprisoned thousands of Japanese-Americans. Anti-Japanese racism lingered for years as many people blamed all Japanese people for the bombing. Additionally, some historians believe that scapegoating was a major factor in the Holocaust. After World War I, Germany was decimated, and Adolf Hitler rose to power by promising to make Germany strong again, blaming Jewish people for a host of social ills.

Scapegoats in Family Therapy

In some families, one family member takes on the blame for all or most of the family’s problems; some refer to this person as the “black sheep.” Some families enter therapy specifically to address the problems of the scapegoat. For example, one child might have behavioral problems that prompt the entire family to seek therapy out of a belief that the child’s behavior problems are tearing the family apart.

Family therapists are trained to recognize when a family is scapegoating one member and, through therapy, attempt to help the family understand that the scapegoat’s problems are something in which the entire family participates. Some family systems theorists argue that the scapegoat is simply trying to draw attention to larger family problems with his or her behavior. Tools for dealing with scapegoating include helping each family member recognize his or her role in family problems, altering family dynamics so that each family member is responsible for the functioning of the family, and examining overlooked problems within the family system.

References:

1. Boss, P. (2002). Family stress management: A contextual approach. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
2. Scapegoat theory. (n.d.). Psychology Glossary. Retrieved from http://www.alleydog.com/glossary/definition.php?term=Scapegoat Theory.
3. Scapegoating research and remedies. (n.d.). The Scapegoat Society. Retrieved from http://www.scapegoat.demon.co.uk.

Last Updated: 02-17-2017