The Scapegoat Phenomenon: Understanding the Human Drive to Find Someone to Blame in Times of Crisis

Scapegoat

In crises, whether economic, social, or environmental, the human tendency to find someone or something to blame often emerges with force. Scapegoating, a behavior as old as recorded history, involves directing blame onto an individual or group for collective problems, often regardless of their actual involvement. This phenomenon is deeply rooted in human psychology, social dynamics, and cognitive biases, and understanding it can help prevent its destructive effects.

Historical and Psychological Roots of Scapegoating

Scapegoating can be traced back to ancient practices where a literal “scapegoat,” often an animal, was symbolically burdened with a community’s sins or misfortunes and sent away, meant to carry away the community’s problems. Over time, the concept evolved, with certain individuals or groups taking on the symbolic role of “scapegoats” in times of crisis. The psychological drive behind this behavior is largely rooted in fear, insecurity, and the need to create order from chaos. In this context, René Girard’s “mimetic theory” provides insight into how collective stress and conflict lead to rivalry and blame, resulting in a search for a target.

In times of natural disasters or extreme weather events, like severe flooding, hurricanes, or droughts, this tendency can escalate. Modern societies often scapegoat entire industries, government officials, or vulnerable populations, channeling frustration and confusion toward a convenient but unrelated target.

Cognitive Biases That Fuel Scapegoating

Several cognitive biases intensify the tendency to scapegoat:

  1. Confirmation Bias: In times of crisis, individuals often interpret events in a way that aligns with their existing beliefs or fears. For instance, when a region experiences extreme weather, people may blame industries they associate with environmental harm, regardless of whether that industry contributed to the specific event.
  2. Fundamental Attribution Error: When disaster strikes, people frequently assign blame based on perceived character flaws rather than situational factors, fostering an oversimplified explanation. For instance, people might blame an ethnic group or socio-economic class for a city’s hardships, reinforcing pre-existing prejudices.
  3. Groupthink: Groupthink arises when highly cohesive groups prioritize consensus over critical evaluation, leading to a communal focus on a scapegoat. During times of crisis, groupthink can foster a strong “in-group vs. out-group” mentality, where an “out-group” becomes a convenient target for blame.
  4. Projection: This defense mechanism, identified by Freud, allows individuals to project their anxieties and inadequacies onto others. In a crisis, projection enables groups to distance themselves from internal tensions by attributing negative qualities to external targets, reinforcing unity and simplifying blame.

Scapegoating in Weather-Related Crises

Natural disasters and extreme weather conditions often create fertile ground for scapegoating, especially when individuals seek quick explanations for catastrophic events. The DANA (Depresión Aislada en Niveles Altos) storm that struck Valencia is one example, where extensive flooding led to widespread damage and displacement. In its aftermath, the strain of recovery efforts and losses intensified public fear and frustration, leading some to place unwarranted blame on local officials or marginalized groups.

In these instances, the overwhelming nature of weather crises can amplify fear, leading people to misdirect blame onto specific individuals or communities, regardless of their actual involvement in or control over the disaster. For example, a lack of adequate infrastructure or climate adaptation planning might be the true cause of flooding, yet the public might hold certain political figures or vulnerable communities responsible due to visibility rather than evidence.

Scapegoating as a Tool for Social Cohesion—and Division

From an evolutionary perspective, scapegoating may have once served as a way to build social cohesion in small groups by channeling collective anxieties and strengthening group identity. In times of crisis, people instinctively look for threats outside the group, and this can reinforce bonds within the group. However, in modern societies, scapegoating often has divisive and destructive effects. For instance, religious groups are frequently scapegoated, particularly during periods of social or economic upheaval. Blame is often irrationally directed at religious minorities as a way to channel fear and frustration, often leading to social rifts, discrimination, and violence.

Historical examples of religious scapegoating are numerous, from medieval accusations against Jewish communities during outbreaks of the Black Plague to the more recent rise in Islamophobia following terrorist attacks. In both cases, complex social or political issues are reduced to simplified narratives that blame a specific group, which in turn leads to increased division, marginalization, and prejudice.

Bias, Fear, and the Need for Empathy

Scapegoating reflects deep-seated biases and emotions that, while ancient and instinctual, can be mitigated through awareness, empathy, and education. Learning to recognize cognitive biases and examining the true sources of crises can prevent unjust blame and foster unity rather than division. Initiatives in media literacy, bias awareness, and empathy training can support individuals in assessing information critically and taking responsibility rather than projecting blame. When leaders model accountability and empathy, they can help communities respond to crises with resilience rather than fear.

Psychological support and collective recovery initiatives are also essential in addressing the emotions that drive scapegoating, creating space for people to express frustration and fear constructively. By offering alternatives to blame—such as community rebuilding efforts and transparent information sharing—societies can address the root causes of issues without resorting to scapegoating.

Are you scapegoating?

Scapegoating is a deeply ingrained, instinctive behavior that surfaces in times of crisis, but understanding its roots can help us move beyond it. Rather than falling prey to the need for a scapegoat, societies can foster resilience by encouraging empathy, rational analysis, and collective action. When people recognize the shared nature of challenges—whether related to extreme weather, social conflict, or economic struggles—they can address problems constructively, building unity instead of division. By understanding and overcoming the urge to scapegoat, communities can face crises with the strength that comes from unity, empathy, and mutual accountability.

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