Moral Panics: The Social Construction of Deviance – Erich Goode, Nachman Ben-Yehuda – 1994
What the Book Explores
Erich Goode and Nachman Ben-Yehuda’s Moral Panics: The Social Construction of Deviance examines the phenomenon of moral panics—widespread fears, often exaggerated, concerning perceived threats to societal values. The authors delve into the sociological processes by which these panics arise, spread, and eventually subside. They outline a specific model for understanding moral panics, identifying key actors (moral entrepreneurs, moral crusaders) and stages in their development (heightening of concern, hostility, consensus, frustration, decline). The book emphasizes that these panics are not reflections of objective dangers, but rather social constructions created and maintained through collective action and media representation.
Historical / Cultural Context
First published in 1994, this work built upon earlier scholarship surrounding moral panics, notably Stanley Cohen’s Folk Devils and Moral Panics (1972). Goode and Ben-Yehuda sought to refine and expand Cohen’s model, offering a more comprehensive framework for analyzing these events. The book emerged during a period of increased societal concern over issues like youth crime, drug use, and emerging subcultures. It offers critical insight into how societal anxieties are shaped and manipulated through cultural forces, particularly media. The ongoing cycle of media-fueled anxieties about new social phenomena makes the study perennially relevant.
Who This Book Is For
This book is primarily intended for students and scholars in sociology, criminology, communication studies, and related fields. However, its accessible writing style and clear explanations make it valuable for anyone interested in understanding how societal fears are constructed and the consequences of those constructions. Readers interested in the psychology of belief and the dynamics of social influence will also find this work insightful. It isn’t focused on offering solutions or interventions, but rather on providing a sociological understanding of a widespread cultural process.
Further Reading
- Cohen, Stanley. Folk Devils and Moral Panics. (1972) – A foundational text in the study of moral panics.
- Thompson, Kenneth. Moral Panics. (1998) – Provides a British perspective on moral panics.
- Altheide, David L. Creating Fear: News and the Construction of Crisis. (1997) – Explores the role of media in creating and amplifying social fears.
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