Folk Devil
Definition
The group or category of person cast as the source of the moral threat in a moral panic. The folk devil is stereotyped, dehumanised, and blamed for social disorder. Cohen's original examples were Mods and Rockers; later examples include asylum seekers, knife-crime youth, and online extremists.
- Origin of concept
- Stanley Cohen, moral panic theory
- Original example
- Mods and Rockers
- Function
- Stereotyped, dehumanised scapegoat blamed for social disorder
- Later examples
- Asylum seekers, knife-crime youth, online extremists
Common questions
How does media coverage typically construct a folk devil during a moral panic?+
Coverage tends to exaggerate the group's threat, use dramatic and repetitive language, present isolated incidents as representative of the whole group, and strip away individual context, which together builds a simplified, threatening stereotype that the public can rally against.
Does a group need to pose an actual measurable threat to be cast as a folk devil?+
No. Moral panic theory holds that the perceived threat is often disproportionate to the actual risk, or in some cases the group's behaviour is not new at all, but a shift in public anxiety or a triggering event causes disproportionate attention and blame to fall on them.
Why is the folk-devil concept relevant to forensic and criminal-justice practice rather than only media studies?+
Moral panics around a folk devil can pressure policy toward harsher sentencing, expanded police powers, or discriminatory enforcement targeting the stereotyped group, so practitioners assessing case context or policy impact benefit from recognising when coverage reflects a moral panic dynamic rather than proportionate risk.
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