Scapegoats get accused of precisely the traits the accuser represses in himself.

Evidence

Displacing aggression onto a scapegoat allows the venting of aggressive energy created by internal conflict, and the aggression can be justified by at­ tributing undesirable traits to the scapegoat. Importantly, the traits attributed to the scapegoat will be the very ones that the individual fails to recognize and represses in the self. — Leonard S. Newman and Ralph Erber (eds.), Understanding Genocide, 747

Categorization

• DEEPTHINKING: The symmetry — the accusation maps the accuser’s own disowned material — is what makes projection such a durable account of targeted hostility.
• XREF: connects to: Outgroup accusations often reveal the accuser’s own repressed faults — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2345; Scapegoat beliefs reveal the perceiver’s faults or fears more than the target’s traits — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice: Fifty Years…, 1565

Broader Connections

• Outgroup accusations often reveal the accuser’s own repressed faults #corroborates (0.95) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 2345
• Scapegoat beliefs reveal the perceiver’s faults or fears more than the target’s traits #corroborates (0.95) — John F. Dovidio, Peter Glick, Laurie A. Rudman, On the Nature of Prejudice, 1565