Folk devils and moral panics

Stanley Cohen established the concept of moral panic in 1972 (Folk Devils and Moral Panics: The Creation of the Mods and Rockers), and subsequently diverse scholars have explored its relevance for different periods. Seven traits characterized moral panics: public concern; hostility; public consensus; exaggerated response; volatility; introspective soul-searching; and perception of the deviant behaviour as symptomatic of a broader malaise. Further research emphasized that moral panics were not monolithic, but comprised different types: grassroots; elite; and enforcement of existing laws. Throughout the twentieth century, women and youth became the focus of moral panics in the Boer War, World Wars I and II, the…