Moral panic

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Moral panic (from English moral panic ) describes a phenomenon in which a social group or category is characterized by the general public as a danger to the moral order of society due to its behavior. The aim of the public riot is to stop behavior perceived as a threat in the long term. The resulting public dynamic is accompanied by sensation-focused media coverage and privately organized initiatives. Often these are problems such as child abuse , drug abuse or juvenile delinquency . Ultimately, moral panic leads to a strengthening of social control and a decrease in the likelihood of a normative change in values. The term is to be distinguished from that of the mass hysteria , which does not apply to social control.

History and meaning

The phenomenon of moral panic was first referred to by the British sociologist Jock Young in 1971. This established a connection between the feared discussion about an increase in statistical data on drug abuse and the increased presence of police operations as well as the increase in judicial convictions in this context. Stanley Cohen systematically introduced the concept of moral panic in Folk devils and Moral Panics , published in 1972 . In it he mainly describes the reaction of the mass media and political and public actors to the appearance of so-called mods and rockers in Great Britain in the 1960s.

Stanley Cohen - Folk Devils and Moral Panics

In Folk Devils and Moral Panics , Stanley Cohen analyzed the outbreak of moral panic caused by the deviant behavior of youth groups in small British towns. The panic was triggered by a sensational street fight in Clacton , a coastal town in Great Britain. On Holy Saturday 1964 there was an argument there because a bar owner refused to serve a group of young people. A scuffle ensued, a pistol shot was fired and a £ 500 disc was broken. The police then arrested around 100 young people. The response from the UK media to this incident was enormous. Except for the British Times , the event made the front pages of all major British daily newspapers. In addition, the youth groups were designated as "Mods and Rockers" and their declaration as dangerous "Folk Devils".

Cohen's analysis was based on a step model. As a result, the incidents in Clacton initially saw an initial phase, characterized as strongly deviant, which later turned into a level of persistence. In this context, Cohen examined the role of the media according to three criteria:

  1. Exaggeration and bias: Cohen saw a widespread use of melodramatic vocabulary and sensational headlines in media coverage. He also noticed false statements in newspaper reports. For example, a newspaper published that the windows of all the nightclubs were broken. In fact, there was only one discotheque in Clacton with only a few windows broken.
  2. Forecasts: The newspapers reported forecasts about the possible repetition and spread of such unrest. They even assumed that the situation would deteriorate and that the peace would be threatened.
  3. Symbolizations: In addition, the alleged perpetrators were symbolized. For example, key symbols such as haircuts or clothing styles were taken from their neutral connotation and given negative associations. This was also evident from the fact that prior to the events in Clacton there had been media coverage of hooligans or gang wars, which, however, was not characterized by the extreme risk potential of these groups.

In addition to the media, the actions of politicians and social groups play an important role in the development of moral panic about youthful, violent behavior. In Clacton's case, local politicians wanted to bring the discussion of the incidents and the related issues to the national political level. To this end, they sent reports to the British Home Office so that the issue was debated in the House of Commons against the background of the incident and the possible consequences. In addition, local groups were formed that demanded effective action against deviant behavior.

Significance in the context of current research and new developments

The concept of moral panic emerged in the 1960s from the combination of currents of theory from the areas of critical criminology , especially the labeling approach , and cultural studies .

Cohen summarizes seven clusters of socially constructed identities around which moral panics often occur:

In addition, Cohen points out that viewing the media is of great importance in the current research context of moral panic. According to him, the media are regarded as the first source of public opinion and produce knowledge about the deviance of the behavior of specific groups that are described as problematic. According to Cohen, they fulfill three roles in this context:

  1. Setting the course : The media representatives select the incidents they will report on.
  2. Transmission of the presentation : Within the media coverage of the incident, a specific rhetoric takes place.
  3. Breaking the silence : the media are now making their own claims. For example, headlines read: "Would you like a pedophile as your neighbor?" ( The Sun )

features

A central feature is the form of a moral panic known as the spiral effect . This spiral effect continues as follows: First of all, there are fears about the behavior of a social group or class which parts of the population classify as a threat to social values ​​and the moral order. This threat is then received by the media in sensational reporting, thereby supporting the extent and intensity of social fear. At this point there is a reaction from authorities or influential opinion makers calling for the behavior to be stopped.

In their book Moral Panics: The social construction of deviance, the sociologists Erich Goode and Nachman Ben-Yehuda identify five significant characteristics that are inherent in moral panic.

concern

Fears arise within society about the specific behavior of a group. This is perceived by the individual members of society as deviating and threatening. The fears come in the form of public polls, media comments, legislation or social movements .

Hostility

There is a collectively shared hostility towards the social group or class that is perceived as a threat and fundamentally malicious. This creates a demarcation between “us” and “them” , which is reinforced by the formation of stereotypes . This stereotype formation has similarities in its structure to the formation of stereotypes which are used by the police in the context of suspicion of criminals.

accordance

Since danger is a subjectively perceived quantity, there can be no clear definition of when its extent seriously threatens basic, moral values. The point in time at which a dangerous situation can be spoken of is relative. Accordingly, when moral panic occurs, a substantial part of the population shows concern about the behavior of a social group and this concern is expressed by specific actors.

Disproportionality

Disproportionality describes the disproportion between what is subjectively perceived in society and the objective extent of danger. The aspect of disproportionality is controversial as it is a quantity that is practically impossible to measure. Critics, especially representatives of social constructivism , assume that disproportionality is socially constructed and, from an objective point of view, represents an empty shell. The empirical validity is therefore questionable. According to Yehuda and Goode, however, a certain degree of disproportionality can be determined by comparing empirical data with the statements made in public discourse.

extent

The extent of moral panic is temporarily limited and characterized by fluctuating intensity. The resulting extreme hostility among sections of the population towards social groups only lasts for a limited period of time. Moral panic often breaks out eruptively and can then quickly disappear again or, after it has taken its course, be institutionalized. During periods when concern persists, periods of moral panic can occur in succession. On the basis of the characteristics of duration and fluctuations, a moral panic can be distinguished from other, public fears about possible dangers.

literature

  • Stanley Cohen : Folk Devils and Moral Panics. The Creation of Mods and Rockers . 3rd edition, London, Routledge, 2002, ISBN 978-0-415-26712-0
  • Erich Goode / Ben-Yehuda Nachman: Moral Panics. The Social Construction of Deviance , 2nd Edition, New York, NY: Wiley, 2009, ISBN 978-1-4051-8933-0 .
  • Kenneth Thompson, Moral Panics , New York: Routledge, 1998, ISBN 978-0-415-11976-4
  • Lancaster, Roger N .: Sex Panic and the Punitive State , 2011, University of California Press, London

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e Kenneth Thompson: Why the Panic? - The History and Meaning of the Concept. In: Moral Panics. Routledge, New York 1998, pp. 1-22.
  2. ^ Jock Young: The role of the Police as Amplifiers of Deviancy, Negotiators of Reality and Translators of Fantasy. In: Some consequences of our present system of drug control as seen in Notting Hill. In: Stanley Cohen: Images of Deviance. Penguin Books, Harmondsworth 1971, pp. 27-62.
  3. ^ Stanley Cohen: Folk Devils and Moral Panics. 3. Edition. Routledge, London 2002.
  4. ^ Stanley Cohen: The Inventory. In: Folk Devils and Moral Panics. Routledge, London 2002, pp. 16-34.
  5. ↑ Kenneth Thompson: The Classic Moral Panic - Mods and Rockers. In: Moral Panics. Routledge, New York 1998, p. 31 f.
  6. ^ A b Kenneth Thompson: The Role of the Media. In: Moral Panics. Routledge, New York 1998, p. 33 f.
  7. ↑ Kenneth Thompson: Social Control Agents and Moral Entrepreneurs. In: Moral Panics. Routledge, New York 1998, p. 38.
  8. ^ A b c Stanley Cohen: Introduction to the Third Edition. In: Folk Devils and Moral Panics. Routledge, London 2002, pp. Vii-xxxv.
  9. ↑ a b c d e f g Erich Goode, Ben-Yehuda Nachman: Indicators of the Moral Panic. In: Moral Panics: the social construction of deviance. Blackwell Publishing, Malden 1994.
  10. ↑ See point 3.
  11. ↑ For detailed information see: Joseph Schneider and John I. Kitsuse : Studies in the Sociology of Social Problems. 1984, Norwood, NJ, ISBN 0-89391-053-8 ; Steve Woolgar, Dorothy Pawluch: Ontological gerrymandering: the anatomy of social problems explanations. In: Social Problems 32, 1985, pp. 213-227, doi : 10.2307 / 800680 , JSTOR 800680 ; Erich Goode, Nachman Ben-Yehuda: Indicators of the Moral Panic. In: Moral Panics: the social construction of deviance. Blackwell Publishing, Malden 1994, ISBN 978-1-4051-8934-7 , p. 37.
  12. ↑ Also Bettina Paul , Stanley Cohen ("002/1980/1072): Folk Devils and Moral Panics. The Creation of Mods and Rockers. London / New York: Routledge Classics . In: Christina Schlepper / Jan Wehrheim (eds.), Key works in critical criminology , Weinheim: Beltz Juventa, 2017, pp. 201–211.