they say it's your fault and you know it's true

A scapegoated child knows depths of private suffering that can only be described as hellish. They are born with the biological need for care from people who hate them. It is like being thirsty, and the only person who has water instead gives you sand, then mockingly laughs. The scapegoated child is attacked for trumped-up charges, mercilessly punished, and then denied appeal. They are constantly invalidated in their perspective. The family's goal is to convince the child that they are the sole reason for the family's unhappiness. The child may come to believe that life is only worth living if they can figure out how not to be who they are.

- Jay Ried, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor