Child and Family Social Work 2002, 7, pp 91–98 © 2002 Blackwell Science Ltd INTRODUCTION Behavioural and emotional symptoms, such as anxiety, depression and conduct disorders, in children can be explained in various ways. Some theories emphasize the internal world of the child, whereas others point to the parents’ personal difficulties or to the unique interaction of the parents’ personalities with the child’s personality (Winnicott 1966; Perera 1986). Family theories suggest processes of interac- tion and communication (Minuchin 1974; Bowen 1978; Sanders et al. 1997; Fivaz-Depeursinge & Corboz-Warnery 1999). Recently, in their analysis of internalized disorders, Daleiden et al. (1999) outlined some possible aetiologies of child symptoms, indicat- ing that family conflicts are one of the contributing factors. Johnston & Ohan (1999), who comprehen- sively review externalized disorders, point to different factors among them in relation to the family system. Despite their broad approach, however, they do not relate them to the process of scapegoating and pro- jective identification. In the present study we aim to throw some light on this issue by examining specific aspects of scapegoating and its relation to internal and external symptoms in children. The scapegoat is as ancient a social mechanism as history itself. The phenomenon appears in the Jewish Scriptures as part of a ceremony held on the Day of Atonement, whereby the scapegoat is cast out from the community in atonement for the sins of the Israelites in the desert (Leviticus 17:21–22). Similar ceremonies are described in other religions and in anthropological reports. In all of these sources, the scapegoat fulfils a personal and/or social psychologi- cal function identified with the principle of purifica- tion from a personal or social evil, from guilt or sin (Frazer 1959). Historians describe how aggression is transferred from the actual source of distress towards minorities who function as scapegoats (Gould 1942; Girard 1986). Ackerman (1958) and Vogel & Bell (1960) were among the first to use the concept of scapegoat in the context of family relations. Based on Vogel and Bell’s work, Broderick & Pulliam-Krager (1979) defined the 91 Blame and family conflict: symptomatic children as scapegoats Rivka Yahav* and Shlomo A. Sharlin† *Senior Lecturer and †Professor and Director, Center for Research and Study of the Family, Faculty of Welfare and Health Studies, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel Correspondence: Rivka Yahav, Center for Research and Study of the Family, Faculty of Welfare and Health Studies, University of Haifa, 31905 Haifa, Israel Keywords: blame, children, family conflict, scapegoat, symptom Accepted for publication: November 2001 ABSTRACT The study’s aim was to examine the relation between children’s symptom type, specifically externalized vs. internalized symptoms, and children’s perception of being blamed by family members for various family conflicts. The research hypothesis was based on theo- ries of family therapy, in particular on the concept of scapegoating and projective identification processes. The subjects were chosen from treatment centres for children and adolescents, using the Achenbach Self-Report Questionnaire. Subjects included males and females, aged 10–17, who had either internalized or externalized symptoms and no history of organic or psychotic disorders. The control group consisted of non-symptomatic children. The research groups also included each child’s sibling closest in chronological age, who served as an additional control group. A total of 161 children participated in the study. It was found that externalizing children reported greater subjection to parental blame than did the other children.