Moral Panic
A moral panic is an intense
feeling expressed in a population about an issue that appears to threaten the
social order. 'Goode and Ben-Yehuda (1994) outline what they see as the five
main features of a moral panic: Concern, Hostility, Consensus,
Disproportionality and Volatility.'
Concern: There must be an awareness that the behaviour of the
group or category in question is likely to have a negative effect on society.
Hostility: Hostility towards the group in question increases,
and they become 'folk devils'. A clear division between 'them' and 'us'.
Consensus: Though concern does not have to be nationwide, there
must be a widespread acceptance that the group in question poses a very real
threat to society. It is important at this stage that the 'moral entrepreneurs'
are vocal and the 'folk devils' appear weak and disorganised.
Volatility: 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.
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