Moral panic

Extracted Attributes

• Key Actors

  Moral entrepreneurs (instigators), Folk devils (targets), Agents of social control (media/authorities)

• Field of Study

  Sociology, Criminology, Media Studies, Cultural Studies

• Originator (Term)

  Jock Young (1971)

• Originator (Theory)

  Stanley Cohen (1972)

• Core Characteristics

  Concern, Hostility, Consensus, Disproportionality, Volatility

• Theoretical Limitations

  Criticized by Steve Hall (2012) as a category error; often considered irrational by academics.

• MySpace Registration Age

  14 years (initial minimum), 13 years (later minimum)

Timeline

• Execution of Bridget Bishop marks the start of the Salem Witch Trials executions, a historical example of moral panic. (Source: Web Search)

  1692-06-10

• Joseph McCarthy delivers the 'Enemies Within' speech, fueling the Second Red Scare moral panic. (Source: Web Search)

  1950-02-09

• Jock Young first coins the term 'moral panic' in a sociological context. (Source: Web Search)

  1971-01-01

• Stanley Cohen publishes 'Folk Devils and Moral Panics', formalizing the theory and defining the role of moral entrepreneurs. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1972-01-01

• Emergence of the 'Satanic Panic' involving widespread, exaggerated allegations of ritual abuse. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1980-01-01

• Erich Goode and Nachman Ben-Yehuda publish their attributional model of moral panic. (Source: Wikipedia)

  1994-01-01

• Introduction of the Deleting Online Predators Act (DOPA) in the US in response to MySpace-related moral panic. (Source: Wikipedia)

  2006-01-01

• First 'Q' post on 4chan, initiating the QAnon movement, often cited as a modern moral panic. (Source: Web Search)

  2017-10-28

Moral panic

A moral panic, also called a social panic, is a widespread feeling of fear that some evil person or thing threatens the values, interests, or well-being of a community or society. It is "the process of arousing social concern over an issue", usually elicited by moral entrepreneurs and sensational mass media coverage, and exacerbated by politicians and lawmakers. Moral panic can give rise to new laws aimed at controlling the community. Stanley Cohen, who developed the term, states that moral panic happens when "a condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests". While the issues identified may be real, the claims "exaggerate the seriousness, extent, typicality and/or inevitability of harm". Moral panics are now studied in sociology and criminology, media studies, and cultural studies. It is often academically considered irrational (see Cohen's model of moral panic, below). Examples of moral panic include the belief in widespread abduction of children by predatory pedophiles and belief in ritual abuse of women and children by Satanic cults. Some moral panics can become embedded in standard political discourse, which include concepts such as the Red Scare and terrorism. It differs from mass hysteria, which is closer to a psychological illness rather than a sociological phenomenon.

Web Search Results

• Moral Panic | Social Sciences and Humanities | Research Starters

  Research Starters Home EBSCO Knowledge Advantage TM # Moral Panic Moral panic is a sociological phenomenon where a collective anxiety arises within a society, typically in response to perceived threats against its traditions and values. Coined in 1972, the term illustrates how certain groups—often labeled as "folk devils"—are scapegoated for societal changes that provoke fear or discomfort. The media plays a crucial role in this process by amplifying narratives around these perceived threats, which can stem from various interest groups, elites, or grassroots movements. [...] Moral panic is a phenomenon that occurs once in a while. It appears in a non-random and non-regular pattern and its appearance cannot be forecast based on past patterns. Prior to the beginning of the moral panic, an entity (or group) will be identified as acting in a deviant way or promoting beliefs that create threats to the homeostasis of values existing in the society. This is the point in time when societal members become aware of how the society may be altered by the actions of the entity. In the past, social mores were carefully guarded and corrected within the context of a community. Community members were fairly homogeneous in how they dressed, believed, and acted. Values such as living in nuclear family groups, keeping children and women under control, shared religious beliefs, [...] Coined in 1972, the term Moral Panic was first meant to describe how the public comes to a collective panic over threats to societal traditions and values. Moral Panics always involve the utilization of the media as the transmitter of information to society. Moral Panics can be initiated by Interest Groups, Elites, or Grassroots groups. However, the Interest Groups and Elites must have the support of Grassroots groups (and vice versa) if the Moral Panic is to be maintained. The term has evolved along with American society and now appears to be somewhat lacking in meaning. A constructionist American society seldom agrees on what is right and wrong and some writers claim the act of panic is actually veiled oppression. Media is acknowledged as the unchallenged transmitter of moral panic

• Moral Panic - Library at University of Wisconsin-Parkside

  ## What is a Moral Panic? ### WHAT ARE MORAL PANICS? Moral panics are instances of mass fear based on the false or exaggerated perception that some cultural behavior or group of people is dangerously deviant and poses a threat to society's values and interests. Such panics are fostered by mass media and exploited by self-appointed moralists and politicians. First coined by Jock Young (1971) and, later, Stanley Cohen (1972) when he studied the public reaction to youths called “mods and rockers” in Brighton, England during the 1960's. ### MORAL PANIC EXAMPLES Salem Witch Trials, 1692-93 McCarthyism, 1950s Satanic Panic, 1980s-90s QAnon, 2017-present [...] Satanic Panic, 1980s-90s QAnon, 2017-present Moral panics arise when distorted mass media campaigns are used to create fear, reinforce stereotypes and exacerbate preexisting divisions in the world, often based on race, ethnicity and social class. Many social problems have been the basis of distorted mass media campaigns. Do you remember any of these moral panics? ### ANATOMY OF A MORAL PANIC Concern Volatility Disproportionality Consensus Hostility -Goode and Ben Yehuda, 1994 ## Social Media Stories ### Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy & the Second Red Scare ### ### More Resources on Senator McCarthy The Censure Case of Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin (1954) Documents that Changed the World: Joseph McCarthy’s ‘list,’ 1950 "Have you no sense of decency?"

• Moral Panic - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics

  Moral panic, conceptualised as an exacerbated reaction to a group that the wider society sees as a threat to social values or the moral order (Cohen, 1972) represents yet another creative strategy used to promote racism (Flores-Yeffal et al., 2011). Moral panic is often a result of the actions of ‘moral entrepreneurs’ (Becker, 1963) who manipulate fears and insecurities of the ingroup and portray out groups as threatening. With cyber-racism, the concept is used to examine how anti-immigrant arguments are framed by subtly attacking Latino immigrants to build support for anti-immigrant policies in the US. The use of moral panic strategies seems particularly effective when used by leaders of opinion on the broader white supremacist community. View article Read full article URL: [...] ### Moral panic attacks One argument that seems to have gained traction in the literature has been the assertion that IGD is essentially the product of a “moral panic” movement (Bean, Nielsen, van Rooij, & Ferguson, 2017; Ferguson, 2010; Kardefelt-Winther, 2014, 2015). Moral panic refers to the process by which emerging, but normal, products and activities are perceived to be dangerous or threatening. Thus, these activities become pathologized and considered necessary to regulate or control, based largely on judgments rooted in fear rather than evidence. The corollary is that IGD is not a real disorder, but an attempt to label an imagined or manufactured threat. [...] In his book titled Folk Devils and Moral Panic, sociologist Stanley Cohen first utilised the term ‘moral panic’ to describe a widespread fear of a group of individuals who are perceived to threaten society’s safety or core values (Cohen, 2014). In reacting to a moral panic, new laws are often enacted that target and control the group causing this fear in the community. Cohen’s construction of moral panic is particularly applicable to understanding the ways in which the public now conceptualises child sexual abuse, as well as the resultant outcry and the punitive and reactive legislation that has been implemented in many Western countries.

• Moral Panic - Simply Psychology

  ## What is a Moral Panic? A moral panic happens when a large group of people become deeply worried that something is threatening the moral values or stability of society. These fears often turn out to be false or greatly exaggerated, but they can still have powerful social effects, shaping laws, reinforcing prejudice, and influencing how people see “good” and “bad” behavior. Moral panics are closely related to mass hysteria, since both involve widespread fear based on distorted or misleading information. Moral panics don’t happen by accident. They often arise in ways that benefit powerful groups or reinforce existing inequalities. They tell us less about the people being blamed, and more about the anxieties and power dynamics within society itself. ## Stages of Moral Panic [...] Learn about our Editorial Process > A moral panic happens when society reacts with exaggerated fear or anger to a group, behavior, or issue that’s seen as a threat to moral values or social order. The media and authority figures often amplify these fears, creating a sense that the problem is widespread and dangerous, even when evidence says otherwise. It’s less about what’s actually happening, and more about what people believe is happening. ### Key Takeaways [...] For example, once the panic about Mods and Rockers faded, newer youth subcultures like Skinheads became the new focus of fear — continuing the same cycle of moral labeling and control. ## Social Actors of Moral Panic A moral panic is not just a wave of public fear, it’s a process involving specific people and institutions who play different roles in identifying, spreading, and responding to a perceived moral threat. These groups reflect how power, prejudice, and control operate within society. The main actors in a moral panic are: 1. Moral Entrepreneurs – those who start or lead the panic. 2. Folk Devils – the people or groups who become the targets. 3. Agents of Social Control – the authorities and media who spread and enforce the reaction.

• Moral panic - Wikipedia

  According to Cohen, a moral panic occurs when a "condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests." To Cohen, those who start the panic after fearing a threat to prevailing social or cultural values are 'moral entrepreneurs', while those who supposedly threaten social order have been described as 'folk devils'. In the early 1990s, Erich Goode and Nachman Ben-Yehuda produced an "attributional" model that placed more emphasis on strict definition than cultural processes. ### Differences in British and American definitions [edit] [...] Another British criminologist, Steve Hall (2012), goes a step further to suggest that the term moral panic is a fundamental category error. Hall argues that although some crimes are sensationalized by the media, in the general structure of the crime/control narrative the ability of the existing state and criminal justice system to protect the public is also overstated. Public concern is whipped up only for the purpose of being soothed, which produces not panic but the opposite, comfort and complacency. [...] Main article: Criticism of Myspace A moral panic happened around the website MySpace, then the largest social networking site globally, mostly around the 2005-2009 period. MySpace was founded in 2003, and during most of the panic, the minimum age to register was 14, though it was later decreased to 13. Concerns about predators roaming on the website emerged, and it started a moral panic over social networking sites. The US government tried to take action by introducing the Deleting Online Predators Act of 2006 (DOPA). The panic was fueled by the reality television series, To Catch a Predator. By 2010, the panic had disappeared, primarily due to the decrease of visitors on the website and more people shifting to Facebook, which was thought to be "safer" at the time.[citation needed]

• Instance Of

  Q30070590