Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “Scapegoating”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources
PubMed2003

The 1996 Mount Everest tragedy: contemplation on group process and group dynamics.

In May 1996, one of the most tragic Mt. Everest climbing seasons was about to unfold, and five climbers would perish in the "Death Zone" miles above the earth's surface. This article considers the events from a group dynamic and group process perspective in an attempt to understand what might have been happening to the group members. We summarize the events through the writings of two chroniclers. We then discuss creating the group, leadership, diversity and subgrouping, scapegoating, and multiple interpretations through an interpersonalist/psychodynamic framework.

Cooperative Behavior↗
PubMed2001

Retaining a viable workforce: a critical challenge for nursing.

Nursing is facing a crisis nationally and internationall, with Australia, the United States, New Zealand, Canada, the United Kingdom and Western Europe experiencing critical shortages of nurses. Problems with recruitment, retention and an ageing workforce means that attempts to ensure a viable nursing workforce must be placed at the top of the professional agenda. Strategies currently used to manage the crisis, such as overseas recruitment, are not sustainable and are ethically dubious. The demographic timebomb is ticking and up to half the current nursing workforce will reach retirement age by 2020. It is vital that there are adequate numbers of skilled and qualified nurses to take their places. Nursing and nurses are facing unprecedented challenges and pressures in the workplace. Job satisfaction is threatened as nurses are pressured to do more with less, Nursing productivity has increased phenomenally over the past ten years in response to increased demands and decreasing numbers of staff. The nursing workplace has disturbingly high levels of occupational violence, and many nurses operate within a culture of blame and scapegoating. There is evidence that organizational change is imposed upon nurses with little or no consultation and the literature reveals that this has a direct and negative effect on job satisfaction and on retention of nurses. This paper explores some of the critical issues that nursing must confront to be successful in establishing and maintaining a vigorous, dynamic and viable workforce.

Humans↗
PubMed1976

An exploratory multi-level attempt to investigate intrapersonal and interpersonal patterns of 20 Athenian families.

The present study is an attempt to explore patterns of family relationships in the context of milieu specific value and role assumptions and to capture the trends in relation to social change. Information collected includes intrapsychic as well as interpersonal material elicited by a combination of tools administered individually and conjointly. The revealed patterns -- extreme emphasis on the future achievement of the child as a shared family goal, the mother's central role which was shown to inhibit constructive processes, the distant marital relationship, and scapegoating of the child because of denied marital difficulties -- are shown to create conflict and tension in all members and render cooperation and decision-making difficult. It is attempted to interpret the above-mentioned patterns in the light of traditional value and role assumptions. The analysis seems to indicate that the adherence to the dysfunctional patterns appears to serve the function of preserving stability of the family in a period of transition.

Achievement↗
PubMed2000

Summary of research issues in personal, interpersonal, and group dynamics.

People working on space missions, whether they are crewmembers or Mission Control personnel, must interact in groups. Consequently, it is important to consider interpersonal and group dynamic issues to assure that mission goals are accomplished. Simulation studies on Earth and anecdotal reports from space have described a number of such issues that include crew heterogeneity, culture and language variations, leadership roles, and personality differences. Problems that can result include increased group tension, decreased cohesion, subgrouping, scapegoating, miscommunication, role confusion, and displacement of tension and dysphoria from one group to another. The three papers by Drs. Caldwell, Kanas, and Stuster that are presented in this session address some of these issues at the group level. They suggest three critical questions related to: 1) improving communication between space crews and Mission Control personnel; 2) dealing with emotional and interpersonal decrements during the second half of space missions; and 3) minimizing the effects of culture and language differences. These questions in turn lead to six research strategies related to: 1) developing and testing new technologies to enhance crew-ground communication; 2) developing tools to recognize important communication themes and the factors that affect them over time; 3) studying the ability of voice analysis technology to detect on-board interpersonal stress; 4) developing and testing countermeasures to deal with second half emotional and interpersonal decrements; 5) studying the effects of cultural and language differences on crew tension, cohesion, and performance; and 6) studying the effects of crew heterogeneity and size on crew tension, cohesion, and performance.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

The effects of personality and interpersonal relations on crew performance during space simulation studies.

There has been a substantial increase in the number of people living and operating in isolated, confined, and artificially engineered environments, such as spacecraft, deep diving, weather stations, submarines, and polar outposts. This article gives an overview of research undertaken in a variety of extreme environments in an effort to better understand how semiautonomous, task-oriented groups operating within these environments develop over time, as well as identification of the individual characteristics that promote performance under such circumstances. Research reviewed includes space simulation studies for the European Space Agency (ESA) where groups were isolated in hyperbaric chambers, as well as findings from polar expeditions, space missions, submarine missions, and other military settings. Findings from the space simulation studies in hyperbaric chambers provided empirical evidence for interpersonal issues anecdotally reported in Antarctica and in other isolated, operational team environments, such as "scapegoating" of deviant crew members, displacement of aggression to outside personnel, and time patterns in psychological reactions. No indications of a "psychological limit" for how long people can tolerate remaining in isolation and confinement were found. Certain personality characteristics were consistently associated with coping, and individuals characterized by strong achievement motivation combined with interpersonal sensitivity seemed to adapt better than others. Together, these results have implications for selection and training of people operating within extreme environments.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

HIV in women in the sex industry and/or injection drug users.

Women working in the sex industry are at risk for HIV infection acquired through intravenous drug use or sexual practices with steady sex partners, but there is no evidence that they are transmitting the virus to their customers. Most HIV infection in women in the United States is related to injection drug use (personal or that of a partner). Scapegoating and prejudice toward prostitutes and IVDUs is widespread. Services must be provided with attention to unique social and psychological concerns. Both educational and medical interventions must be sensitive and accessible, and, at times, must be provided outside traditional health care settings.

Female↗
PubMed1988

Child maltreatment and its victims. A comparison of physical and sexual abuse.

Although physical and sexual abuse are separate and distinct types of victimization, their impact on children is quite similar. Both of these forms of maltreatment involve the exploitation or misuse of a child by a parent or caretaker in the context of a pathologic family system. Physical and sexual abuse constitute an acute traumatic event for the child, generating phobic responses and anxiety-related symptoms including post-traumatic stress disorder. The long-term traumatic elements stemming from the chronic stigmatization and scapegoating contribute to problems of depression and low self-esteem and distortions in character formation. Betrayal by a primary caretaker leads to mistrust of others and difficulties with object relationships. Perhaps the most striking similarity between physical and sexual abuse of children is the tendency of the children to re-enact and recreate their victimization with others, leading to a transmission of violence in the next generation. Like their parents who were frequently victimized during childhood, they repeat and perpetuate an "aggressor-victim" interaction in their subsequent relationships. Both physical and sexual abuse are embedded in a deviant family structure, which adds to the psychopathology of the children. The contrast between physical and sexual abuse can be demonstrated by their specific impact on aggression and sexuality, respectively. The physically abused child has difficulty in experiencing and modulating aggressive impulses, whereas the victim of incest is often impaired in his ability to experience and integrate sexual feelings. The physically abused child is also at greater risk for cognitive and CNS impairment. Intervention with the abusing parents is the first step in protecting the children from further damage, but treatment of the child victims is necessary not only to diminish their psychopathology and emotional distress, but to prevent the cycle of violence in the next generation.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1985

Family factors in the lives of drug users and abusers.

A review of the literature suggested nine family factors which had an impact upon drug use: parental absence, discipline, scapegoating, hypocritical morality, parent-child communication gap, parental divorce, mother-father conflicts, family breakup, and the use of "psychological crutches" to cope with stress. In addition, data were collected on the closest family member to the drug-taking subject, the subject's perception of the most powerful family member, the family member who used "psychological crutches," and situations where the most powerful person in the family used "psychological crutches." A paired analysis between drug users and drug abusers yielded significant differences on the use of two "psychological crutches" to cope with stressful situations: drugs and denial. Drug users were less likely to come from families where there was a communication gap and more likely to come from families which used democratic disciplinary techniques. Drug abusers came from families where there was a communication gap and either laissez faire or authoritarian discipline. Drug abusers also came from families where the person whom they defined as most powerful tended to use "psychological crutches" to cope with stress.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Psychiatry and Chinese culture.

When we examine the cultural characteristics that influence mental disorders and related behavior among the Chinese, no major differences are found between Chinese and other groups in the range of disorders or in overall prevalence. Several cultural factors influence the recognition and treatment of mental illness, among which are attitudes toward emotional display, somatic as opposed to psychogenic disorders and features of the traditional medical belief system in Chinese culture. The Chinese have a relatively favorable prognosis of schizophrenia, low rates of depressive illness, a strong tendency towards somatization and the presence of several unique culture-bound syndromes. From studying Chinese in Vancouver, it was found that they have a characteristic way of dealing with mental illness in the family, in that there is first a protracted period of intrafamilial coping with serious psychiatric illness, followed by recourse to friends, elders and neighbors in the community; third, consultation with traditional specialists, religious healers or general physicians; fourth, outpatient or inpatient treatment from specialists, and, finally, a process of rejection and scapegoating of the patient. The efficacy of Western psychiatric treatment of Chinese patients has yet to be objectively assessed.

Alcoholism↗
PubMed1982

An introduction to disaster: some considerations of a psychological nature.

This paper provides a review of the literature dealing with the psychological reactions of individuals and groups to disaster. The paper was intended for use by a broad readership and serves both as an introduction to the field as well as a resource document for workers already engaged in disaster planning and training. Characteristic stages of human response to disaster situations are discussed as well as the specific immediate reactions of individuals and groups. Phenomena such as "scapegoating," long-term reactions, reactions of rescue and relief personnel, psychological first aid, and disaster planning, are among the other topics examined.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Racism and perinatal addiction.

Recent publicity and policy have targeted drug use by non-white women, particularly during pregnancy and parenthood. This emphasis on women of color is discordant with the population demographics of substance use and addiction, although morbidity and mortality related to drugs is often greater among nonwhites. Women with addictive disorders that are exacerbated by their social environments are blamed for their behavior. Meanwhile, drug treatment and primary health care services for these women are woefully inadequate. Among newborns testing positive for cocaine, those with black mothers are more likely to be discharged to non-maternal care, which may perpetuate family disruption. There are multiple reasons for true and perceived ethnic differences in substance use, addiction, and related social and medical harm. Such harm may be worsened by the racism inherent in U.S. drug policy. The scapegoating of non-white drug-using women and the paucity of treatment for them may be related to political and economic imperatives of society in maintaining and pacifying exploited groups.

Black or African American↗
PubMed1997

A personality disorder of excessive power strivings.

None of the existing formal diagnostic categories in psychiatry today addresses adequately the issues of excessive power-seeking, corruption and destructiveness. Excessive power strivings both poison the personality of the individual who is obsessed in his spirit and mind with power and do unacceptable harm to other peoples' lives. The present proposal of a diagnostic category of a Personality Disorder of Excessive Power Strivings is intended to fit into current diagnostic schema of DSM as well as into an earlier proposal (1) to examine in all psychopathology not only the burdens and damage people do and impose on their own selves and their own functioning, but also the harm they do to other peoples' lives and functioning. The diagnosis is to be used when the individual displays prolonged and severe manifestations of the following listed criteria: The basic feature which is always present in this personality disorder is: 1. Intense and extensive power strivings. In addition, at least three other of the following characteristics should be present; 2. Lack of empathy for people, and indifference to the suffering of others; 3. "Street smart" alertness and remarkable cunning committed to seizing and expanding power; 4. Ruthlessness in cultivation of power; 5. Scapegoating and projection of blame on to targeted individuals or a group, an insistent need to identify certain others as lowly, worthless and intended victims; 6. Corruption by power and addiction to power; 7. Demands of other people to be dependent on one's powerful personality, or that they become one's obedient followers; 8. Emphasis on symbolisms of pure vs. impure, holy vs. infidel, chosen vs. condemned; 9. A basic disrespect for the lives of others evidenced in callous or indifferent exposure of others to undue risks; 10. An absence of conscience in contexts of self-interest and opportunity; 11. A homicide/suicide orientation.

Antisocial Personality Disorder↗
PubMed1977

On the classification of families. A progress report.

A review of the literature over the last 20 years on family classification is presented with an aim toward integration of existing approaches. Family schemas are organized into the following groups: (1) style of adaptation, (2) developmental family stage, (3) initial problem or diagnosis of the identified patient, (4) family theme or dimension, and (5) types of marital relationship. Six family types are presented based on a descriptive comparison of the schemas as grouped above, and implications for clinical course and prognosis are summarized. A multidimensional as opposed to a typological model for family classification is suggested.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1990

The scapegoat effect on food aversions after chemotherapy.

The effects of consuming a novel food (halva) versus a familiar food (cookies) before gastrointestinal (GI) toxic chemotherapy on patients' preference for familiar foods consumed after chemotherapy treatment were compared. The development of aversions to the novel and familiar foods was also assessed. Patients with a history of posttreatment nausea consumed either a novel or a familiar food before chemotherapy and were asked to keep a food record through the next breakfast and to rate their preference for these foods. Patients who consumed halva before treatment were significantly more likely to increase their ratings for foods consumed after chemotherapy than patients who consumed familiar cookies. Aversions to the novel food were significantly more frequent than aversions to the familiar food. These findings provide evidence that a novel but not a familiar food consumed before chemotherapy can act as a scapegoat to prevent items in the regular diet consumed after chemotherapy from decreasing in preference. Providing patients with a novel food before chemotherapy is a useful clinical intervention to reduce the likelihood of forming aversions to familiar foods consumed after chemotherapy.

Adult↗
PubMed1977

Parent Attitude Research Instrument (PARI): clinical vs. statistical inferences in understanding abusive mothers.

Attitudes toward child rearing and early experiences in childhood traditionally have been regarded as psychodynamic factors that influence adult behavior. The present study assessed the capacity of the Parent Attitude Research Instrument (PARI) to differentiate between court-identified abusive mothers and a control sample of nonabusive, well-baby clinic mothers of comparable socioeconomic status. While univariate t-tests showed statistical significance for 3 of the 23 PARI scales, more sophisticated and appropriate multivariate tests (Discriminant Function Analysis) demonstrated that the PARI correctly classified the experimental and control Ss only 65% of the time. It appears that the PARI alone should not be used to identify potentially abusive mothers. Even more important, the results caution and alert non-statistically informed clinicians and researchers to the pitfall of over-interpreting clinical data that are based on the more simple univariate tests of statistical significance.

Attitude↗
PubMed2004

Culture at work: Family therapy and the culture concept in post-World War II America.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the concept of culture had currency beyond the disciplinary boundaries of anthropology and sociology. This article takes up a clinical example of the invocation of the culture concept by examining how early family therapists such as Nathan Ackerman, Murray Bowen, and Don Jackson used culture as a category of analysis during the formative years of their new field. The culture concept played an integral role in the processes by which family therapists simultaneously defined the object of their research and treatment, the family, and built their new field. Their varied uses of culture also contained tensions and contradictions, most notably between universal and relativist views of family and psychopathology and between views of family therapy as a conservative force for maintaining the nuclear family or a progressive force for overcoming social inequality.

Culture↗
PubMed1999

Summation of overshadowing and latent inhibition in rats' conditioned taste aversion: scapegoat technique works for familiar meals.

In rats' taste aversion learning, presentation of another taste with a target taste alleviates aversion for the target taste (overshadowing), and exposure of a target taste prior to its conditioning alleviates aversion for that taste (latent inhibition). The present study demonstrated summation of these effects, resulting in the least aversion in the rats that had received both overshadowing and latent inhibition treatments. The finding that overshadowing and latent inhibition summate is contrary to the prediction by the comparator hypothesis that they counteract, as recently reported in conditioned suppression of licking in thirsty rats. The present result supports the employment of the so-called "scapegoat technique" in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy after taking familiar meals.

Analysis of Variance↗