Moral panics
- Created by: rebeccamellors
- Created on: 30-01-17 12:15
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- Moral Panics
- Moral Panic = an exaggerated over-reaction by society to a perceived problem where the reaction enlarges the problem out of proportion
- In a moral panic:
- The media identify a group as a folk devil or threat to societies values
- Media present the group in negative, stereotypical fashion & exaggerate scale of problem
- Respectable people condemn the group & their behaviour
- Leads to crackdown on group
- May create self-fulfilling prophecy that amplifies problem
- Deviance Amplification Spiral
- Medias portrayal produce deviance amplification spiral by making it seems as the problem was spreading & getting out of hand
- Leads to increase control responses from police & courts
- Produce further marginalisation & stigmatisation of the deviant group
- There is less tolerance of them, adds to spiral
- Medias portrayal produce deviance amplification spiral by making it seems as the problem was spreading & getting out of hand
- Cohen
- Media definitions of situation are crucial in creating a moral panic
- Due to most people having no direct experience of the events themselves so they rely on information from the media
- Moral panics often occur at times of social change, reflecting anxieties many may feel when accepted values seem to be undermined
- Media definitions of situation are crucial in creating a moral panic
- The Wider Context
- Functionalist perspective - moral panics can be seen as way of responding to normlessness created by change
- Hall et al (1979) neo-Marxist approach - argue moral panic over mugging in British media 1970s served to distract attention from crisis of capitalism
- Criticisms of idea of moral panics
- Assumes societal reaction is a disproportionate over-reaction but who decides what's proportionate & what's panicky
- What turns the 'amplifier' on & off, why are the media able to amplify some problems but not others
- McRobbie Thornton (1995) argue morla panics are now routine & have less impact
- In late modern society there's little consensus about what is deviant, lifestyle choices that were condemned 40 yrs ago are no longer deviant so its harder for media to create panic about them
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