Here is the synopsis of our sample research paper on SCAPEGOATING IN JOE KLEIN’S BOOK, THE NATURAL
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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 4 page paper discusses the topic of scapegoating as exampled in Joe Klein's book, The Natural. Quotes cited from text, and from other expert sources. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
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4 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_MBklein.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
propitiating a scapegoat causes great misery for the chosen scapegoat, it can be said, whether that scapegoat is an individual, or a whole nation. In Joe Kleins work, The Natural,
he addresses the act of scapegoating as it refers to the presidency of Bill Clinton. The mob mentality with which the nation assessed and addressed the scandals of his administration
were not only unexpected, but still serve as a point of study on group psychology. This notion of finding a scapegoat is not a new idea at all. The
original term, if most stories are to be believed, was that the ancient peoples believed that they could pin all of their perceived sins and grievances into and onto a
sacrificial animal. This animal, usually a goat, would then be sent out into the woods to fend for itself, or would be sacrificed to atone for their wrongs. Of course,
as this applied to the emerging modern civilizations, the act of physical animal sacrifice was given up for a more subtle type of scapegoat: the psychological scapegoat. Sigmund Freud
studied this phenomenon and concluded that the Ego was the underlying reason for this scapegoating action to occur. In the ordinary person, the individual represses many actions, thoughts or desires
that are considered inappropriate. However, if the repression creates anxiety or other uncomfortable emotions, the Ego steps in to walk a persons psyche through a series of doors. These doors
are: denial, rationalization, projection, and/or displacement(Freud 48). The act of finding and providing oneself a scapegoat comes from the projection and displacement levels of Freuds Group Psychology theory. It is
a method by which one moves blame and responsibility from themselves and toward someone, an object, group, or individual. The hospitality which can be displaced during this projection can be
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