6.2.2 Violence and video games (1970s–present).6.2.1 Increase in crime (1970s–present).6.1.1 Nativist movement and the Know-Nothing Party (1840s–60s).4 Goode and Ben-Yehuda’s Attributional Model.1.1 Differences in British and American definitions.It differs from mass hysteria, which is closer to a psychological illness rather than a sociological phenomenon. Some moral panics can become embedded in standard political discourse, which include concepts such as ' Red Scare' and terrorism. Įxamples of moral panic include the belief in widespread abduction of children by predatory pedophiles belief in ritual abuse of women and children by Satanic cults and concerns over the effects of music lyrics. 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.' : 1 While the issues identified may be real, the claims 'exaggerate the seriousness, extent, typicality and/or inevitability of harm.' The concept of moral panic can now be found in several disciplines, including sociology and criminology, media studies, and cultural studies.

It is 'the process of arousing social concern over an issue,' usually perpetuated by moral entrepreneurs and the mass media, and exacerbated by politicians and lawmakers. 1555 German print.Ī moral panic is a widespread feeling of fear, often an irrational one, that some evil person or thing threatens the values, interests, or well-being of a community or society. The witch-hunts in early modern Europe are a historical example of mass behavior potentially fueled by moral panic.

Men of war red rising mod