Scapegoating

Scapegoating is the process of unjustly accusing or blaming an individual or a group for the actions of others not of their own doing. It is derived from the tendency to displace aggression toward a minority group. Typically, innocent individuals or groups receive the displaced aggression when others feel threatened by them. These targets of aggression are often perceived as “safe” targets because they are victimized and often powerless to fight back. They are frequently vilified, criticized, and rejected. In a non‐pathological sense, scapegoating may also be perceived as the natural outgrowth of stereotypes associated with race, religion, sex, gender, and ethnicity. This point of view, sometimes referred to as the exaggeration hypothesis, is based upon perceptual contrasts or cognitive processing limitations. The group conflict model, however, sees scapegoating in more motivational terms, where exaggeration grows out of individual or group conflict. Scapegoating can also be seen as the outgrowth of prejudice, which develops either in the personal sense where some group is perceived as a threat to one's own interests, economically, socially, or as a group endeavor where conformity becomes an issue. In order to conform, one's group expects you to express and support the view of the collective group

Aggression · Conformity · Derogation · Exaggeration · Perception · Political science · Politics · Prejudice (legal term · Psychoanalysis · Scapegoating · Law · Psychology · Psychology of Moral and Emotional Judgment · Social and Intergroup Psychology · Social Psychology · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence

• Neutralization theory and the denial of risk

  Open Access•Patrick Peretti‐watel•British Journal of Sociology•2003

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