Editing Moral panic (section)

== Goode and Ben-Yehuda's attributional model ==
In their 1994 book ''Moral Panics: The Social Construction of Deviance'',{{sfn|Goode|Ben-Yehuda|2009|pp=57–65}} [[Erich Goode]] and [[Nachman Ben-Yehuda]] take a [[Social constructionism|social constructionist]] approach to moral panics, challenging the assumption that [[Sociology of deviance|sociology]] is able to define, measure, explain, and ameliorate [[social problems]].<ref name="Critcher-2017" />

Reviewing empirical studies in the social constructionist perspective, Goode and Ben-Yehuda produced an "[[Attribution bias|attributional]]" model that identifies essential characteristics and placed more emphasis on strict definition than cultural processes.<ref name="Jones" /><ref name="Critcher-2017" />{{sfn|Goode|Ben-Yehuda|2009|pp=57–65}} They arrived at five defining "elements", or "criteria", of a moral panic:{{sfn|Goode|Ben-Yehuda|2009|p=37}}

# Concern – there is "heightened level of concern over the behaviour of a certain group or category" and its consequences; in other words, there is the belief that the behavior of the group or activity deemed deviant is likely to have a negative effect on society. Concern can be indicated via [[opinion poll]]s, [[media coverage]], and [[lobbying activity]].{{sfn|Goode|Ben-Yehuda|2009|p=37}}
# Hostility – there is "an increased level of ''hostility''" toward the deviants, who are "collectively designated as the enemy, or an enemy, of respectable society". These deviants are constructed as "[[folk devil]]s", and a clear division forms between [[In-group and out-group|"them" and "us"]].{{sfn|Goode|Ben-Yehuda|2009|p=38}}
# Consensus – "there must be at least a certain minimal measure of consensus" across society as a whole, or at least "designated segments" of it, that "the threat is real, serious and caused by the wrongdoing group members and their behaviour". This is to say, though concern does not have to be nationwide, there must be widespread acceptance that the group in question poses a very real threat to society. It is important at this stage that the "[[moral entrepreneur]]s" are vocal and the "folk devils" appear weak and disorganized.{{sfn|Goode|Ben-Yehuda|2009|p=38}}
# Disproportionality – "public concern is in excess of what is appropriate if concern were directly proportional to objective harm". More simply, the action taken is disproportionate to the actual threat posed by the accused group. According to Goode and Ben-Yehuda, "the concept of moral panic ''rests'' on disproportion".{{sfn|Goode|Ben-Yehuda|2009|pp=40–41}} As such, [[statistics]] are exaggerated or fabricated, and the existence of other equally or more harmful activity is denied.
# Volatility – moral panics are highly volatile and tend to disappear as quickly as they appeared because [[public interest]] wanes or news reports change to another narrative.

Goode and Ben-Yehuda also examined three competing explanations of moral panics:<ref name="Critcher-2017" />{{sfn|Goode|Ben-Yehuda|2009|pp=51–72}}

# the grass-roots model – the source of panic is identified as widespread anxieties about real or imagined threats.
# the elite-engineered model – an [[Elitism|elite]] group induces, or engineers, a panic over an issue that they know to be exaggerated in order to move attention away from their own lack of solving social problems.
# the interest group theory – "the middle rungs of power and status" are where moral issues are most significantly felt.

Similarly, writing about the [[Blue Whale Challenge]] and the [[Momo Challenge]] as examples of moral panics, [[Benjamin Radford]] listed themes that he commonly observed in modern versions of these phenomena:<ref name="BR">{{Cite web|last=Radford|first=Benjamin|date=27 February 2019|title=The 'Momo Challenge' and the 'Blue Whale Game': Online Suicide Game Conspiracies|url=https://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/the_momo_challenge_and_the_blue_whale_game_online_suicide_game_conspiracies|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190228170347/https://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/the_momo_challenge_and_the_blue_whale_game_online_suicide_game_conspiracies|archive-date=28 February 2019|access-date=28 February 2019|website=Skeptical Inquirer}}</ref>

* Hidden dangers of modern technology.
* Evil stranger manipulating the innocent.
* A "hidden world" of anonymous evil people.