Moral Panic Essay - 1130 Words

Moral Panic Moral panic is a widely used and often misinterpreted concept in social sciences. The term was invented by the British sociologist Stanley Cohen the late sixties. Cohen defined moral panic as a form of collective behaviour during which: A condition, episode, person or group emerges to become defined 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 accredited experts pronounce their diagnosis and solutions; ways of coping are evolved or (more often) resorted to; the condition then disappears,†¦show more content†¦It represents the collective fear of the society from the other. I suggest that today moral panic is not simply a matter of exaggerated social problems, but it is a fear of losing control over the other and the fear of the truth about the other. Moral panic intends to reinforce th e boundaries between the self and the other. My case study is the moral panic of pornography on the Internet. Moral panic What is moral panic? Moral panic is a form of collective behaviour that from one day to the other considers a certain group of people dangerous. The reasons might vary from fake rumours to real (exaggerated) facts. The period of a moral panic usually ends with social actions either in form of attacking the other (in the case of a Satanic Ritual) or in changing the law (pornography on the Internet). Moral panics usually take place at the time of significant changes in society, when there is a great fear of loss of control. In these times collective consciousness needs to be reinforced so that society can locate new boundaries. Other examples of moral panics are over witchcrafts, satanic rituals, drugs, handguns, teenage pregnancy, TV violence, Internet and so on. According to Goode and Ben-Yehuda, moral panic has the following necessary indicators: 1. Concern - (different from fear) over the imagined threat (and those associated withShow MoreRelatedDon T Panic About Moral Panic2362 Words   |  10 PagesDON`T PANIC ABOUT MORAL PANIC GILAD ABIRI Contents INTRODUCTION 1 I. THE MODELS OF MORAL PANIC 2 A. Proccesual Model 2 B. Attributional Model 5 II. DO MORAL PANICS REPRESENT A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY? 8 A. The problem stated intuitively 8 B. Preferences vs. Reason – A theory of democratic decision-making 10 IV. WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT MORAL PANIC 15 A. The Legislature 17 B. The Administration 17 C. The Judiciary 19 INTRODUCTION One of the basic questions facing democratic institutions is how toRead MoreEssay on An Inside Look at Moral Panics1008 Words   |  5 PagesMoral Panics Opinions on personal and social matters are evergrowing and can be found in all forms of media. Themes of sex and their regulation from all forms of figures and institutions influence the publics’ perceptions of normality. The controversies of society that result in a heightened reaction from the public is a moral panic. Reactions that result in these mass panics can be initiated by simple facts about a certain taboo, and as generations change, so do the norms of that society, creatingRead MoreStanley Cohens Concept of a Moral Panic1692 Words   |  7 PagesStanley Cohen’s career started to move in the upward direction with the publication of his first serious research in 1972. The book called â€Å"Folk Devils and Moral Panics† was devoted to the issues relevant to the British society in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Exactly in this book he introduced for the first time such a term as â€Å"moral panic†, which became rather widely used since then. The author of the book concentrated his attention on the rivalry of the two British â€Å"gangs† residing in LiverpoolRead MoreCrime, Moral Panics and the Media Essay1726 Words   |  7 Pagescausing a moral panic. ‘A moral panic is a semi- spontaneous or media generated mass movement based on the perception that some individual or group, frequently a minority group or subculture, is dangerously deviant and poses menace to society. These panics are generally fuelled by the media, although not always caused by, media coverage of social issues†¦ These panics can sometimes lead to mob violence†¦ (newsfilter.co.uk). Some of the governing models of moral panics includeRead MoreDiscuss and describe a moral panic from a social science perspective.1218 Words   |  5 PagesSociety is frequently subjected to moral panics when any crime is committed. Humanity repeatedly blows crimes and incidents out of proportion until the entire society is somewhat controlled. Stuart Hall, in his book, ‘Policing the Crisis’ explained that â€Å"the media, in conjunction with the bourgeoisie, create moral panics in order to perpetrate fear and maintain control over society, as a whole.† (Hall, 2013, s. 1) Moral panics are created as a hazard and rising threat to shock both society and cultureRead MoreAnalysis Of Stanley Cohen s Folk Devils And Moral Panics 1438 Words   |  6 PagesThe term Moral Panic was an expression created by Stanley Cohen in his 1972 book â€Å"Folk devils and Moral Panics†. Cohen, who was a sociology professor at the University of Essex in the 60s, developed th e concept of Moral Panic as a way to describe the media coverage of the violence that spawned between two rival youth gangs (the Mods and the Rockers) and to explain the following societal reaction to that era’s adolescent sub-culture. Since then the term has been regularly used in the media to referRead MoreMoral Panics1609 Words   |  7 PagesChallenge: Select and describe a â€Å"moral panic† against a perceived deviance. Analyse the role of the â€Å"moral entrepreneur† and â€Å"folk devil† in your selected case. Finally, explicate what it demonstrates about individuals and their socialization. (Length: 2 000 words) Societies tend to view the youth as the future and hope of a nation. To a certain extent, societies observe the behaviours and potential of the young people to ‘estimate’ the political and socio-economic future of a nation. When thereRead MoreMoral Panics And Media Panics2494 Words   |  10 PagesMoral Panics and Media Panics A moral panic is a phenomenon that is examined and understood in an unbiased fashion. This type of panic locates a â€Å"folk devil,† is shared, remains out of synch with the seriousness it evokes, and varies in intensity over time (Goode and Ben-Yehuda, 41). On the other hand, a media panic is a moral panic about the effects of a communications medium of technology (Class lecture: January 27, 2016). Overall, a moral panic is based upon the reaction of society from an eventRead MoreThe Is An Internet Moral Panic Essay1568 Words   |  7 Pagesinternet. Teenagers are known for being vulnerable, naà ¯ve, having a vast desire to find acceptance with their peers or society and are obsessed with love. With the connection of the internet, social media, and teen it has created completely new moral panic; catfishing. According to, to Merriam-Webster catfishing is defined as an individual who creates a fake profile on a social networking site to deceive or manipulate others (Catfish) . Primarily, those who catfish use their fake profiles to gainRead MoreMoral Panic Essay1105 Words   |  5 PagesMoral panics has become a frequent term with in sociology now days. Moral panic is not new, it goes all the way back to 1971. Jock Young discussed the increase in drug abuse and made a statement about the fact how media, public opinions and authorities play a big part in making a moral panic happen. Jock Young was also the first to publish about moral panic in 1971.The term ‘moral panic’ can be defined as a disproportional and hostile social reaction to a condition, person or group defined as a threat