Moral Panic

Moral Panic

Moral panic is a feeling of fear spread among a large number of people that some evil threatens the well being society. The media can exaggerate youth movement groups such as, 'chavs', mods, rockers etc. According to Stanley Cohen, the media play a huge role in enforcing moral panic. In Cohen's book ( Folks Devils and moral panic) it is suggested that moral panic occurs when a condition, episode, person or group emerges to become defined as a threat to society's values and interests. Moral panic sends society into mass hysteria over a particular issue or event that occurs. The public believe that whatever is reported upon is occuring everywhere.