Cohen's study
Cohen (1972) traced how clashes between Mods and Rockers were amplified by the press and met with harsh policing, a process tied to labelling theory. Hall and colleagues (1978) linked a mugging panic to law-and-order politics.
Five criteria
Goode and Ben-Yehuda (1994) identified concern, hostility, consensus, disproportionality and volatility, a constructionist view close to symbolic interactionism.
Media and risk
McRobbie and Thornton (1995) noted folk devils can now answer back. Hier (2008) connected panics to the risk society and moralization, while Garland (2008) and Critcher (2008) assessed the concept.
FAQ
- What is a moral panic in simple terms?
- When society overreacts to a group or behaviour, treating it as far more dangerous than it is.
- Does a moral panic mean there is no real problem?
- No; the key is disproportion between the reaction and the actual harm.
Sources reviewed: 2026-10-26
References
- Cohen, S. (1972). Folk devils and moral panics: The creation of the mods and rockers. MacGibbon and Kee. The founding study of moral panic.
- Hall, S., Critcher, C., Jefferson, T., Clarke, J., & Roberts, B. (1978). Policing the crisis: Mugging, the state, and law and order. Macmillan. Links panic to state and ideology.
- Goode, E., & Ben-Yehuda, N. (1994). Moral panics: Culture, politics, and social construction. Annual Review of Sociology, 20, 149–171. Sets out five defining criteria.
- McRobbie, A., & Thornton, S. L. (1995). Rethinking 'moral panic' for multi-mediated social worlds. British Journal of Sociology, 46(4), 559–574. Rethinks the concept for new media.
- Garland, D. (2008). On the concept of moral panic. Crime, Media, Culture, 4(1), 9–30. Clarifies the moral dimension.
- Hier, S. P. (2008). Thinking beyond moral panic: Risk, responsibility, and the politics of moralization. Theoretical Criminology, 12(2), 173–190. Connects panic to risk and moralization.
- Critcher, C. (2008). Moral panic analysis: Past, present and future. Sociology Compass, 2(4), 1127–1144. A concise review of the field.