I do not think that evils can be cured by blind hatred of their perpetrators. This will only lead us to become like them. Although the effort is not easy, one should attempt....to understand the circumstances that turn men into fiends, and to realise that it is not by blind rage that evils will be prevented. Bertrand Russell, 1951

Truth and reconciliation processes recently have been much discussed as ways to increase possibilities for restorative justice. For some scapegoat targets the main restoration is that of reputation, character and standing. Scapegoat targets tend to feel this form of justice is a right. A right to such justice is denied by anyone involved in a scapegoating who prefers to look away, leaving the target in the prison that scapegoating so often is.

Throughout history it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph. Haile Selassie

It is a mistake to think that you can move healthily into the future without having strategies to defuse with the past. An undoing process is not simply a naive one of forgetting [how do we simply forget?] but of remembering and changing. For simplicity, we use the pronoun `he' throughout in what follows.

SUPPORT FOR UNDOING

Success in resolving your scapegoating will be much more likely if those who were drawn in and did not oppose it [maybe they were duped in the process] will take a stand for its undoing. It is perhaps wisest not to ask these significant people to do anything beyond being willing to be identified as taking such a stand; some may volunteer to do more - just see that as a bonus, not as something to be sought.

Obviously, undoing scapegoating is a positive matter for scapegoaters' targets, but it can also be positive for audiences, as well as for scapegoaters themselves. It can be positive for all because almost everyone involved is burdened by what has gone on. Amongst the many burdens, here are some typical ones well worth becoming free of:

Perpetrator: guilt, hostility.
Target: isolation, entrapment, anxiety, anger, depression.
Audience: sadness, embarrassment, bewilderment, weariness.

Undoing can provide release from all those things. It brings the freedom that comes from no longer being tied to someone by the awful fetters that scapegoating creates.

OBSTACLES TO UNDOING

No doubt your scapegoater has his pride and egoism, plus a wish to preserve his standing with his audience. Also, he knows that mud sticks and that it takes time to set hard. Time is on his side - not on yours as the target. Because time passing is to his advantage he may want to delay the resolution of his scapegoating indefinitely.

Here we offer a comparison: if, in a trial the prosecution's case was followed by a gap of years before the defense was heard, then a jury would naturally be more accepting of the prosecution's case than if the defense had been heard straight away.

It would be wise to expect that some of the audience may resist undoing if they feel that they were too easily taken in - that they were too gullible.

The scapegoating process has a characteristic way of maturing and solidifying. Consequently, the more time there is between the start of a scapegoating and its resolving, the less undoing can be achieved - especially with the all-important audience. Not only that but there are other unfortunate time-related effects:

Usually the scapegoater will stop his process when he senses that he has effectively transferred blame and that any further transfer might be counterproductive. He, as it were, rests his case - but his `evidence' continues to harm and dismay the target - hence the need for completion and closure.

WHAT CONSTITUTES UNDOING

Much psychological suffering is caused by troubling events of the past being incomplete. Scapegoating is a human social-psychological process which can be, but seldom is, brought to proper completion - to closure.

Incompleteness in scapegoating usually exists because some of the participants have not accepted their accountability. Keep in mind that accountability does not decay with the passing of time.

An undoing process is best done with the help of a facilitator. You will find leads to facilitators trained in conflict resolution on our Links Page.

These are the steps necessary for a full completion process:

Ideally all this would get conveyed to members of the audience in a way that is acceptable both to the scapegoater and to his target. Undoing implies seeking a balance between the legitimate needs of the target, those of the audience and those of the scapegoater himself. Achieving such a balance amounts to a win/win situation for all concerned.

A healthy basic position for a target to have towards undoing is simply to take a firm stand for the possibility of resolution. Use friends and professionals to help you keep calm and stay undaunted, whatever happens.

APOLOGIES AND FORGIVENESS

Nice though these are, apologies and forgiveness are not necessary when an undoing process has been properly worked through. To some people [especially the scapegoater and his audience] apologies and forgiveness seem less challenging, and so they are. And, even if not necessary, some people may find them healing - especially the audience. But a bit more needs to be said about this.

Apology and forgiveness do not, in themselves, provide effective undoing of scapegoating and they bring only partial restoration of reputation and character. They lead more to putting-away than to resolving and completing. But what is merely put away can continue to fester and be troublesome. Undoing is not just about putting away, it has more to do with positive dismantling. This is done by reversing [and thus completing] a process, a key part of which is the open and precise taking of responsibility through truth-telling. With apology and forgiveness people can skirt round issues of responsibility, the facing of which can lead to significant moving-on for everybody. For more on forgiveness, see our Links Page.

WHAT TO DO NEXT

You might like to find someone to help you progress towards resolution - a therapist might be good for that [see our Links Page] or a close friend. A first step with a talking partner might be to discuss this document with them and see if any action plans come to mind. If you get to the stage of wanting a facilitator, there are leads also to them on our Links Page.

IF AN UNDOING IS REFUSED

Sadly, a section about failure has had to be written. In most scapegoating cases there is only a slim chance of undoing - the perpetrator has much to lose, and taking responsibility for what he has done may not be his strongest point. With no undoing, the target is left in suspension, with his character, reputation and standing still damaged, and with quite a lot of spare energy of anger and frustration to disperse. How does one do that?

The value of a talking partner is obvious. But, talking over a refused undoing should not lead to the issue getting buried - burial is unrealistic: scapegoatings don't stay buried for people who are targets. Ask your talking partner to help you move on from the past to focus on what is available to do in the present, whilst sidelining the scapegoating.

Another way to approach moving on would be to change the meaning of your scapegoating. Here is an example of changed meanings. It will be no surprise to read that, apart from a professional interest, The Scapegoat Society was formed to create something of value out of a serious personal scapegoating. The fact that the Society has proved useful to targets, and to students of scapegoating psychology has changed the meaning of the original scapegoating from being a calamity to being something constructive.

Another way you might like to move on from your scapegoating is by telling people about The Scapegoat Society. We would love you to support our work by being an Ambassador.

AN IMPRESSIVE UNDOING

Fifteen years after a major, and strongly resisted, scapegoating began it was undone, quickly and in a very calm manner, as a result of the person responsible for the scapegoating attending a large-group awareness training called The Forum. Whilst the Scapegoat Society has some reservations about the Forum [see Some Thoughts on Est and the Landmark Forum] there is no doubt that what it sets out to deliver should make the undoing of a scapegoating simply unavoidable. This is because the Forum process brings into sharp focus the consequences of acting without integrity, which is what scapegoating is. In this undoing it was relevant that various members of the scapegoater's audience wanted resolution, notably one who had herself been through the Forum experience.

AFTERWORD

If undoing turns out to be impossible, the following oriental view may be helpful.

When a person acts badly towards one he loses something not unlike `credit'. If the wronged person does not retaliate, does not seek to `pay him back' in equal measure, then the attacked person will acquire the credit his aggressor has lost and so be the gainer [from the work of Li Hongzhi].

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