Moral Panic - A condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges as a threat to societal values and interests. Its nature is presented in a stylised and stereotypical fashion by the mass media. The moral barricades are manned by editors, bishops, politicians and other right thinking people; socially credited experts pronounce their diagnoses and solution; ways of coping are evolved or (more often) resorted to.
Alternatively: Moral Panics involve the construction of "folk devils" that need controlling, which leads to increased social control. This occurs during periods when powerful groups or the ruling classes face troubled times. The panic then becomes a substitute for the real social issues.
Features of the Moral Panic Include:
Concern: Behaviour of a particular group represented as having threat. There must be awareness that the behaviour of the group or category in question is likely to have a negative effect on society.
Volatility: Short lived. Panics erupt dramatically but are difficult to sustain. Negative consequences for the rest of us. Moral panics are highly volatile and tend to disappear as quickly as they appeared due to a wane in public interest or news reports changing to another topic.[
Hostility: Hostility towards the group in question increases, and they become "folk devils". A clear division forms between "them" and "us".
Consensus: Widespread acceptance of the threat posed by this group. Not necessarily reflecting national concern, but the campaigner will be very vocal whilst the opposition will be weak and disorganised.
Disproportionality: Wild exaggeration of evidence. Not only the number of people involved, but also the scale of the problem. The action taken is disproportionate to the actual threat posed by the accused group.
Alternatively: Moral Panics involve the construction of "folk devils" that need controlling, which leads to increased social control. This occurs during periods when powerful groups or the ruling classes face troubled times. The panic then becomes a substitute for the real social issues.
Features of the Moral Panic Include:
Concern: Behaviour of a particular group represented as having threat. There must be awareness that the behaviour of the group or category in question is likely to have a negative effect on society.
Volatility: Short lived. Panics erupt dramatically but are difficult to sustain. Negative consequences for the rest of us. Moral panics are highly volatile and tend to disappear as quickly as they appeared due to a wane in public interest or news reports changing to another topic.[
Hostility: Hostility towards the group in question increases, and they become "folk devils". A clear division forms between "them" and "us".
Consensus: Widespread acceptance of the threat posed by this group. Not necessarily reflecting national concern, but the campaigner will be very vocal whilst the opposition will be weak and disorganised.
Disproportionality: Wild exaggeration of evidence. Not only the number of people involved, but also the scale of the problem. The action taken is disproportionate to the actual threat posed by the accused group.
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