Scapegoating in Group Therapy: Insights from Girard's Mimetic Theory.

Scapegoating in group psychotherapy is a pervasive, complex, and challenging phenomenon for many group leaders. How scapegoating is worked through by the group can have a profound impact on whole-group dynamics and functioning. Although some key aspects of scapegoating have been identified in the psychoanalytic literature, the authors urge group leaders to consider systemic and group-level perspectives in depth.