Cohen's Moral Panic



Stanley Cohen wrote 'Folk Devils and Moral Panics' in 1972. In which he suggested that a moral panic happens when a 'condition, episode, person or group of persons emerges to become defined as a threat to societal values and interests', leading to people who threaten the social order being described as 'folk devils'.
             Cohen believed that the media has a huge influence on moral panic. He used this to describe the presses reporting of the ‘mods and rockers’ behaviour. Cohen’s Moral Panic has been used within the media to lure a audience ever since. For example, this picture of Kurt Cobain shows a trend of smoking and drinking alcohol which the public wanted to be involved in, as it was believed to look 'cool'. However, some societies would not have agreed with this, but this photo was still shown in the media.
               


 Moral Panic has said to have several features:

• Concern- There must be awareness that the group is likely to have a negative effect on society.
• Hostility- There is a clear line between society and the group in question, who are then known as 'folk devils'.
• Consensus- There must be a wide acceptance that the group is a real threat, making the 'folk devils' seem weak.
• Disproportionality- The action taken towards the accused group is unbalanced.
• Volatility- Moral panics disappear quickly, as they're no longer in the public interest, leading to the media then focusing on another group.