The Concept of Moral Panics

1878 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How does the media influence the public's perception of crime

The Concept of Moral Panics A moral panic is said to occur when the media mobilises public opinion around the condemnation of deviance ("Media coverage of deviance: moral panics", lecture handout, 07-10-02). Deviance, in this context, refers to the violation of social norms and values, and the subsequent disruption of social order. This essay will begin with a clarification of the terms 'moral panic' and 'deviance' and outline how the two concepts are related. It will then describe the processes of news reporting while making reference to Stanley Cohen's established case study of the 1964 Bank Holiday fracas in Clacton, England as an example of such a media-fuelled moral panic. As briefly mentioned in the introduction, deviance occurs when people behave in a manner that is contrary to established social norms. In general, people are taught or conditioned to conduct themselves in a 'socially acceptable' manner, and theoretically, this management of peoples' behaviour ensures social cohesion and order. However, a number of questions are raised when one considers 'normal' social behaviour. For example, what is and is not socially acceptable? Who decides what is and is not acceptable? Do innate right and wrongs exist? And if they do, are these values upheld by a social consensus? Opinions on deviance fall into one of two categories. Firstly, an absolutist view assumes that a social consensus on deviance does exist, and that deviance is a threat to managed social security and order and should be strongly discouraged. The opposite view is a relativist one, which acknowledges that a range of value systems exist ... ... middle of paper ... ...ompletely motivated by financial incentives and the public demand for scandal, the public should also appreciate a range of value systems exist and that opinion regarding deviance is not universal. The public should also be aware that the media supplies them with the material they seemingly want and accommodates for what it believes is a social consensus of values. References Cohen, Stan and Jock Young (1974). The manufacture of news. London: Constable. Kelsey, Jane and Warren Young (1982). The gangs: moral panic as social control. Wellington: Institute of Criminology, Victoria University. Shuker, Roy and Roger Openshaw (1990). Youth, media and moral panic in New Zealand. Palmerston North: Delta Research Monograph, Massey University. Lecture Handout (07-10-02) Media coverage of deviance: moral panics.

Show More
Related

  • By George C. Edwards III, Martin P. Wattenberg, And Robert L. Lineberry

    1113 Words  | 3 Pages

    In “Reporting the News” by George C. Edwards III, Martin P. Wattenberg, and Robert L. Lineberry, the main idea is how the media determines what to air, where to get said stories that will air, how the media presents the news, and the medias effect on the general public. “Reporting The News” is a very strong and detailed article. The authors’ purpose is to inform the readers of what goes on in the news media. This can be inferred by the authors’ tone. The authors’ overall tone is critical of the topics that are covered. The tone can be determined by the authors’ strong use of transitions, specific examples, and phrases or words that indicate analysis. To summarize, first, the authors’ indicate that the media chooses its stories that will air

    Read More

  • Victor M. Rios

    671 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Moral panic has been defined as a situation in which public fears and state interventions greatly exceed the objective threat posed

    Read More

  • The Boondock Saints’ Positive Deviance

    1358 Words  | 3 Pages

    The movie The Boondock Saints provides an excellent example of positive deviance through innovation. The Social theory of deviance can easily explain the brothers’ actions. The movie can be used to study deviance as the brothers kill people who are mafia members, breaking the norms of society. Even though the acts they are committing are clearly illegal and deviant, the people of South Boston do not react in a negative way. Since the Social theory is very broad, it will be easier to look at the brother’s acts under three sub theories: Labeling, Conflict and Strain theories.

    Read More

  • Ideological Bias Reflected in American Crime Statistics

    1787 Words  | 4 Pages

    As Nils Christie argued, crime is a property of the state (2004). As such, it can be defined by the same systems of ideals which influence the state. Crime statistics, which refer to a category of human acts that society view as deviant, can consequently be argued to be without objectivity (Dorling and Simpson, 1999). The statistics they provide are thus arguably not exact. To a certain extent one could infer they are reflections of society, of those who present the data and most importantly of those who accumulate it. The facts themselves become a socially constructed foundation for social knowledge, which inevitably become subjective. This essay aims to discuss how ideological biases within the Police and to a certain extent the media are reflected in the crime statistics.

    Read More

  • Crime is a contested and complex concept. Discuss

    820 Words  | 2 Pages

    Crime is an irrelevant concept as it is tied to the formal social control mechanism of the State; deviance is a concept that is owned by sociology thus our study should be the sociology of deviance, rather than criminology

    Read More

  • An Analysis of the Influence of Tragedy on the Innocent

    2326 Words  | 5 Pages

    From the years of 1938 to 1945, while the entire world was preoccupied with World War II, the Nazi Party led by dictator Adolf Hitler planned and executed the killing of almost six million Jewish people.This calamity snatched the innocence of those who survived in inconceivable manner. They suffer withanimmense amount guilt simply because they believe that are wrong for surviving whereas their loved ones paid the ultimate price. In recent years Holocaust survivors have had an “increased risk of attempted suicide” (Barak, Y). For these people forgetting is a crime but recollection will not allow them to move. However there are some survivors who found a way to optimistically look towards the future. Holocaust survivor and writer, Ellie Weisel, summed up these feelings by explaining that, “Because I remember, I despair. Because I remember, I have the duty to reject despair.” Learning from the past and growing up comes with a certain end of childhood innocence without which the progression to maturity cannot occur. This enlightenment and the journey from innocence to experience are prominent themes in both The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger and The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephan Chbosky. The former outlines four days in the life of a troubled teenaged boy named Holden Caulfield who is expelled from his preparatory school and spends his time roaming the streets of New York City. The latter is a compilation of letters written by a young boy, who goes by the alias Charlie, in which he discusses deepest feeling regarding his grief stricken adolescence. Both Chbosky and Salinger explore the behaviours and minds of teenaged boys who are trying to find themselves in a world that they do not fully understand yet. However, bot...

    Read More

  • Essay On Native American Gangs

    1634 Words  | 4 Pages

    Tobin, Kimberly. Gangs: An Individual and Group Perspective. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2008. Print.

    Read More

  • Anomie Case Study

    1505 Words  | 4 Pages

    In 1964 Catherine ‘Kitty’ Genovese was murdered and raped outside of her New York apartment in the early morning hours of 3 a.m. Her case was one that shocked all of America to its very core. The killer and the witnesses to the crime show the start of disassociation within society in the three theories that are applied throughout the following pages: Rational Choice, Anomie and Routine Activity. The development of the bystander effect and the diffusion of responsibility and its significant harms to both society and its moral compass in

    Read More

  • The Common Sense Hierarchy Of Imorality?: What Is Wrong?

    1443 Words  | 3 Pages

    Many critics of Criminology argue that crime is something that we are faced with from the day we were born, due to television, movies, news and music. It is argued that our perception of what is right and what is wrong is shaped at a very young age and when we become adults it can be said that it is difficult to change our way of thinking. This essay will firstly, discuss what the ‘common sense hierarchy of immorality’ is, then it will go on to evaluate the theory, how we form our perception and lastly, it would discuss whether or not our perception of crime should be changed.

    Read More

  • Criminal Justice

    2367 Words  | 5 Pages

    Criminal justice through “moral panic” is “a condition, episode, person or groups of person emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests; its nature is presented in a stylized and stereotypical fashion by the mass media; the moral barricades are managed by editors, bishops, politicians, and other right-thinking people; socially accredited experts pronounce their diagnoses and solutions; ways of coping are evolved or (more often) resorted to; the condition then disappears, submerges or deteriorates and become more visible.” (Kraska, 2004) Thus by creating this moral panic, which is an emotion, by involves media, government officials, public, politicians and interested parties that exaggerate the problem from how big the problem really is. “The idea of emotion as a kind of cognitive shortcut explains why jurors, like children are more likely to make emotional judgments than judges.” (Bandes, 311, 1999) Society alone has many emotions towards criminals and victims ranging from hate, anger, fear towards ...

    Read More

  • Panic Disorder Essay

    1893 Words  | 4 Pages

    Panic disorder is an anxiety-repeated disorder that affects approximately five percent of the population (Roy-Byrne, Craske, & Stein, 2006). A diagnosis of panic disorder requires that the individual experiences recurrent panic attacks with any of the following: worry about the possibility of future attacks, avoiding places or situations in which the individual fears a panic attack may occur, fear of being unable to escape or obtain help, or any other change in behavior due to the attacks (Roy-Byrne, Craske, & Stein, 2006). Panic attacks are often sudden and the sufferer usually experience physical symptoms such as autonomie, otoneurological, gastrointestinal,or cardiorespiratory distress (Roy-Byrne, Craske, & Stein, 2006). Individuals who suffer from panic disorder typically utilize medical services at a higher rate than those who do not have panic disorder, an impaired social life, and a reduced quality of life (Taylor, 2006). Often times those who suffer from panic disorder may also suffer from depression and general anxiety (Taylor, 2006). According to the Stanford University School of medicine, approximately 50 percent of patients diagnosed with panic disorder will develop depression and approximately 50 percent of depressed patients will develop panic disorder (Taylor, 2006). In addition those who suffer from panic disorder have a higher incidence of suicide, especially those with comorbid depression (Taylor, 2006). Not everyone who experiences a panic attack suffers from panic disorder (Roy-Byrne, Craske, & Stein, 2006). The same physical symptoms of panic disorder may occur when an individual is faced with specific fears and potentially dangerous situations (Roy-Byrne, Craske, & Stein, 2006). The difference b...

    Read More

  • Psychological Effects Of Hysteria

    713 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hysteria is a serious personality disorder that manifests in patients as odd, random behaviors, not only psychologically, but physically as well. There is no known cure however symptoms can be managed through different treatments on a case by case basis.

    Read More

  • Terrorism and Moral Panic in America

    1644 Words  | 4 Pages

    A moral panic can be defined as a phenomenon, frequently initiated by disquieting media and reinforced by responsive laws and public policies, of embellished public concern, angst or anger over a perceived danger to societal order (Krinsky, 2013). The media plays a crucial role in emphasizing a current moral panic. In Jock Young’s chapter Images of Deviance (1971), he comments on the phenomenon of deviance magnification, he deems dramatic media coverage of deviant behaviours to be ironic, owing to the fact that it unintentionally increases rather than restrains the apparent deviance. In hind sight the media create social problems, owing to the fact that they can present them dramatically and are able to do it swiftly (Young & Cohen, 1971: 37).

    Read More

  • Panic Disorder And Panic Disorders

    701 Words  | 2 Pages

    Panic disorder and panic attacks stem from the same seed but explain it with actual facts will help understand the medical condition which is now being recognized (Mayo Clinic) an attack is described as an intense fear that triggers several physical reactions when there is no real danger. Study now has proved that if you had recurrent, unexpected panic attacks and spent long periods in constant fear you may be diagnosed with what we call a condition panic disorder. Some descriptive characteristics per (Mayo Clinic) are Sense of impending doom or danger, rapid heart rate, trembling, chills, nausea, hyperventilation, chest pain, dizziness, tightness in your throat, shortness of breath.

    Read More

  • Moral Panic

    603 Words  | 2 Pages

    Criminal incidents narrated in newspapers, T.V. channels always leave the society terrified. The society’s fear gives birth to moral panic. Moral panic also takes place when various youth cultural phenomena confront the ordinary society. Mid-twentieth century Britain saw the arrival of two youth cultures namely “mods” and “rockers”. Each had its own values and beliefs, often resulting in conflicts between the two. Media had a lot to say on those clashes. Often the truth was left far behind in the reportage. Mishaps that were not related to the conflict were described to be a part of it. Deceptive headlines were used to gain public attention. Politicians, bureaucrats kept their opinions forward and blamed violent video games, improper guidance as a major cause. All this contributed to a moral panic. Society’s judgments were based on biased media reports that caused misinterpretation of the entire event. Because moral panic leads to prevalence of mistaken beliefs in the public and a distorted image of truth is left behind, it is a curse for the society.

    Read More

More about The Concept of Moral Panics

Open Document