moral panics and disproportionality: the case of LSD use in the sixties
Deviant Behavior July 1, 2008 DOI: 10.1080/01639620701839377 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | LSD |
| Keywords | Moral panic Criminology |
| Citations | 49 |
| Key points | Argues that the moral panic concept remains useful for analyzing societal reactions, as demonstrated by the LSD panic of the 1960s, despite critics' inappropriate use of a disaster analogy. |
Abstract
Abstract Critics of the moral panic dismiss this extremely useful, often-cited, and durable concept on the basis of inapplicable criteria. Drawing on the example of LSD use in the sixties, these critics mistakenly assume that the disaster analogy is apt, insisting that the threat to society, and society's responses, be very much like victims trapped in a burning building. In addition to the fact that the introduction of a new and potentially harmful drug into a society does not entail an on-the-spot threat or reaction, the natural disaster does not typically involve a folk devil or deviant. But the supposed threat of LSD use did entail sensitization, stereotyping, exaggeration, the rush to judgment, sensational anecdotes, and bogus claims. The moral panic notion continues to illuminate social processes and deserves to remain in the sociologist's conceptual tool-box. A version of this article was delivered at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in August 2007, New York City, at a panel, “Moral Panics–35 Years Later. ”I am grateful to Nachman Ben-Yehuda for helpful suggestions and moral support.
Comparable studies
Other theoretical and historical papers on LSD, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Experimental Use of Psychedelic (LSD) Psychotherapy | 1970 | Historical analysis | |
| LSD: My Problem Child | 1981 | Historical analysis | |
| On the Use and Abuse of LSD | 1968 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| The Use of Music in Psychedelic (LSD) Psychotherapy | 1972 | Theoretical or philosophical paper | |
| Flashbacks: Recurrent Intrusive Images After the Use of LSD | 1969 | Theoretical or philosophical paper |
Citations in the library
Cited by 10
- Being no one, being One: The role of ego-dissolution and connectedness in the therapeutic effects of psychedelic experience Journal of Psychedelic Studies September 16, 2022
- Socio-psychedelic imaginaries: envisioning and building legal psychedelic worlds in the United States European Journal of Futures Research April 30, 2022
- American Trip The MIT Press eBooks July 14, 2020
- Narratives of the mystical among users of psychedelics Acta Sociologica January 11, 2021
- Magic, explanations, and evil: On the origins and design of witches and sorcerers August 6, 2018
and 5 more in the library