Moral panics and folk devils

Overview

Moral panic, folk devil and deviancy amplification spiral set off by press reporting.

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Questions from this subtopic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   Define a moral panic.

   Model answer

   A moral panic is an episode in which a group is defined as a threat to society's values and the reaction to it runs well ahead of the actual danger.

2. 2

   What is a folk devil?

   Model answer

   A folk devil is the group cast as the visible enemy in a moral panic, stripped of complexity and presented as the cause of a wider social problem.

3. 3

   Which groups did Cohen study in Folk Devils and Moral Panics?

   Model answer

   Cohen studied the Mods and Rockers and the press reaction to their seaside clashes in the 1960s.

4. 4

   Describe the stages of a moral panic as Cohen sets them out.

   Model answer

   A deviant act is reported in exaggerated terms, the group is stereotyped, moral entrepreneurs demand action, and the authorities respond with tougher control.

5. 5

   Explain the deviancy amplification spiral set off by press reporting.

   Model answer

   Amplified reporting draws in more policing and more attention, which produces more recorded deviance, which then appears to confirm the original alarm.

6. 6

   How did Cohen argue that reporting itself changed young people's behaviour?

   Model answer

   Coverage told young people where trouble would be and offered them an identity to adopt, so the press helped to create the disorder it described.

Other ways to work this

The same content, four other ways.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.