Understanding

Scapegoating.

When one person repeatedly carries the blame for wider problems.

What it can mean

In some families, one person may be blamed for difficulties that involve many people. Naming a pattern can help you look at it more clearly, without assuming you have the whole story.

Notice the pattern

You might recognize this when…

You may recognize some of these patterns in your own experience.

  • ✳Blame seems to fall on one person often
  • ✳Your perspective is dismissed before it is heard
  • ✳You feel pressure to take responsibility for everything

Recognizing a pattern doesn’t automatically tell you why someone behaves this way. Context matters.

A question to sit with

“Whose needs are being overlooked in this pattern?”

Suggested for you

A few gentle places to start.