RESOURCES: Review - When a social problem is a reason to panic

Drawing on both British and American traditions, Critcher identifies a "processual model" and an "atributional model" of moral panics. From these distinctive but overlapping models, he elicits four general propositions common to both. These are concerned with the social construction of social problems, that moral panics are the most extreme form of social problem definition, that they affect the legal framework of regulation and control, and that they confirm ideological boundaries.

The second part of the book considers case studies against which these theoretical assertions are tested. The case studies relate to Aids, ecstasy and raves, video nasties, child abuse in families and paedophilia. Each documents the emergence of these "societal concerns" and explores international policy responses.