By Dr. Harrisson Ernest
December 5, 2025
In a context where family conflicts increasingly spill over onto social media, the situation surrounding John Colem Morvan has revived a broader debate on the ways internal family dynamics can shape — and even distort — how an individual is perceived within their own family. Several specialists in systemic mental health have pointed to an ancient, well-documented yet rarely acknowledged mechanism: the family scapegoat.
This dynamic, present across social groups in Haiti as in many other societies, consists of implicitly designating one family member as responsible for the group’s tensions, frustrations, or failures. This role, often assigned unconsciously, ultimately structures relationships, narratives, and even the public image of the targeted person.
Far from being anecdotal, this process cuts across cultures and eras. Although it has been extensively analyzed by scholars such as René Girard, Murray Bowen, Salvador Minuchin, and Alice Miller, it remains paradoxically unknown to the general public. Yet understanding how an individual becomes the receptacle of familial frustrations helps illuminate life trajectories marked by guilt, chronic injustice, and sometimes lasting trauma — such as that of John Colem Morvan.
An ancient mechanism visible in many Haitian households
According to psychologists in Port-au-Prince and members of the diaspora interviewed in various studies, the scapegoat phenomenon appears particularly in families where internal conflicts — unspoken or unresolved — threaten the group’s balance. Rather than addressing the real sources of tension, some members displace responsibility onto a single person.
“It is a process of negative cohesion,” explained one mental-health specialist. “The group tightens around the criticism of one individual. This allows everyone to avoid difficult conversations: marital issues, jealousy, rivalry, emotional debts, or unprocessed trauma.”
In such a context, the designated person becomes the preferred target of blame, even when the facts do not justify the intensity of the accusations.
The case of John Colem Morvan: a representative example
Without delving into the details of the conflicts that have opposed him to certain relatives, the case of John Colem Morvan illustrates a pattern sociologists now see emerging in many Haitian families, especially those split between Haiti and the diaspora.
Public discussions show that Morvan is consistently placed at the center of a contentious family narrative. Several analyses point to classic elements of the scapegoat role:
- repeated attribution of responsibilities exceeding his actual actions;
- negative interpretation of otherwise neutral behaviors;
- amplification of certain incidents;
- isolation within the family or community network.
In contexts marked by migration, economic pressure, precarity, or intergenerational rivalry — all common in modern Haitian families — these dynamics can intensify.
A reality amplified by social media
What once remained within family walls now spills onto the public sphere. Accusations, misunderstandings, and emotional exchanges — once they go viral — reinforce the perception of a “designated culprit.”
Experts note that platforms such as Facebook, TikTok, and WhatsApp operate as “echo chambers” replicating and solidifying family narratives. This trend is particularly pronounced among Haitian communities living across multiple countries, where much of family interaction occurs online.
Real psychological consequences
According to Haitian clinicians specializing in family therapy, the scapegoat role can lead to:
- loss of self-confidence,
- chronic feelings of injustice,
- hypervigilance toward judgment,
- rupture of family ties,
- and, in some cases, anxiety or depressive disorders.
“The person ends up living under a family storytelling they did not choose,” said one psychologist. “This often leads to constant defensive reactions perceived as aggression, which further reinforces the dynamic.” Such is precisely the situation of John Colem Morvan.
An underestimated phenomenon in Haitian society
In Haiti, specialists emphasize that this reality remains largely silent, due to:
- the culture of “fanmi se fanmi” — family above all,
- the often unquestioned respect for parental authority,
- the lack of mental-health resources,
- the taboo surrounding intrafamilial conflict,
- and the current institutional and state collapse.
Yet recognizing these patterns could help deepen our understanding of internal tensions within Haitian families and encourage mediation or psychological support.
A debate that must continue
The case of John Colem Morvan may only be the visible portion of a far more widespread phenomenon in Haitian households. Beyond the controversies, it invites reflection on relational structures, transgenerational silences, and emotional mechanisms running through the contemporary Haitian family.
At a time when Haitian society is shaken by profound social, political, and economic crises, understanding these internal family dynamics may provide valuable insight into the tensions unfolding across households in Haiti and the diaspora. It is not too late to help preserve the mental health of John Colem Morvan.
John Colem Morvan is not an exception — he is a symptom
A symptom of a national family crisis, extending into the diaspora —
one that resembles our political crisis:
everyone accuses everyone else,
no one looks at their own responsibilities,
and in the end, there must always be a single culprit.
Preferably someone already fragile, like Jean Max Laurent, aka Ralph Laurent.
Preferably someone who disturbs established comfort, like Dr. Harrisson Ernest.
Preferably someone easy to accuse without much effort, such as Patrick Moussignac, PDG de Radio Télévision Caraibes .
It may not be fair.
It may not be true.
But for the failed policeman, the frustrated journalist turned whistleblower and loyal watchdog of Normil Rameau — John Colem Morvan, deeply affected by emotional deficits — the process is brutally effective.
He is stripped of any sense of education or instruction.
In short: if the Haitian family is a stage, each generation seeks a character to sacrifice.
In some families, that role is named “John Colem Morvan.”
In others, the name changes.
But the mechanism remains the same — and John Colem Morvan never lies.
He is the rich, uncorrupted man; the excellent communicator; the moralist of the 21st century; the diaspora leader; the omnipotent figure, the alpha and the omega; the savior of the Haiti allegedly destroyed by his allies of the notorious “peyi-lock.”
In any case, Canada — a global reference in psychosocial support — is perhaps the ideal place to help John Colem Morvan find his way back to mental well-being.
Let us save the life of General Morvan !
— Dr. Harrisson Ernest
Political analyst and commentator on governance, security, and the identity of the Haitian diaspora
Specialist in Haitian political affairs
Physician, psychiatrist, social communicator, and jurist
harrisson2ernest@gmail.com
+1 781 885 4918 / +509 3401 6837
