The Scapegoat: The Unjust Target Of All Blame

Have you ever heard of the scapegoat? Surely you have heard it more than once since it is a very common social process in the world in which we live. It is even likely that you were once that scapegoat boy. To begin, let’s go to the origin of this curious pair of words.

This term has its origin in a religious rite that was done in ancient times. First  , a male goat was chosen at random and then all the sins of the people were transferred onto it. Sins that needed to be expiated, purified, or repaired.

This was a magical ritual that tried to unload all the evil on the same animal. It was loaded with symbolism. Well, it is the human being’s need to atone for his guilt that led him to look for a culprit and to punish him.

The scapegoat: the being on whom we transfer all the blame

The sins of the people were symbolically transferred to this innocent creature. Evil was concentrated in the same being. It is something like a Pandora’s box, where you put all the evil in the world in one place. This gives us a symbolic tranquility that calms the feeling of guilt that we have for all the damage done.

These acts could be very violent, ending the life of the animal. Aggression and anger were embodied in this act. Somehow it is as if evil needs a discharge of violence in order to be satiated, calmed, expiated.

Today we use this term when we choose a person as the target of our anger. Anger that has nothing to do with that person. Anger that has its origin in oneself. It is displaced anger. We shift our aggressiveness from one source to another. This displacement can be seen very often in peer groups.

Unloading one’s aggressiveness on another is an unfair exercise

Groups in which when there is a minimum uncertainty, or an issue not yet resolved, or ignorance about the course of a situation, they choose a person as the target of all the frustration. You will see it in work environments, or in some groups of friends, or in school classes. You will even see it in yourself after the storm has passed.

One ends up bearing the guilt of others, without deserving it. One is put (and many times also exposed) as the target of all evils outside of him. The pursuit of this scapegoat frees the person from an oppressive harrowing sense of self-anger. It provides you with an ineffable gratification that appears as a consequence of the discharge of aggressiveness on someone other than yourself.

I disagree. I wash my hands. They all do the same. I must not doubt the evil of my actions if “the rest” act the same as me. I feel supported. My misery is also shared by others. I cover my eyes with voluntary blindness. He deserves it!

Take charge of your anger, you will take a step towards emotional maturity

On many occasions the scapegoat will assume his role and not question it. “I am the one who has to bear the guilt of others. It’s the logical thing to do, it has to be me. ” We can see this in many families, where it is the same family member who bears all the anxiety and aggressiveness of others.

A kind of masochistic submission that on many occasions has a meaning beyond what we can observe from the surface. Therefore it is important to ask whether we are doing this. We have to ask ourselves if our frustration and accumulated aggressiveness are being displaced on another person. About an innocent person who has nothing to do with the origin of our evil.

Taking charge of anger, of uncertainty, of personal anger is a maturity step in our growth. “I do not blame you, but I assume my guilt, and instead of projecting it on you, I will take care of it to expiate it.” Without a doubt, an act of courage and maturity that in some way is essential to learn.