Moral Entrepreneurs and Social Deviance

These flashcards cover key concepts about moral entrepreneurs, their roles in society, and the mechanisms through which deviance is constructed.

Moral Entrepreneurs

Individuals or groups that seek to influence or create societal norms regarding deviance.

Moral Panic

A widespread, but often irrational, fear or concern about a perceived threat to societal norms.

Moral Crusade

A campaign led by moral entrepreneurs to promote their views on deviance and enforce societal norms.

Claims-Making

The process by which moral entrepreneurs assert that certain behaviors or conditions are dangerous or deviant.

Folk Devil

A person or group portrayed as the embodiment of evil or a threat to societal values.

Differential Social Power

The disparity in resources and influence among different social groups that affects their ability to label behaviors or individuals as deviant.

Moral Conversion

The process through which previously neutral or indifferent individuals adopt supportive stances for moral entrepreneurs’ causes.

Self-Interest

The motivation behind some moral entrepreneurs that influences their campaigns and definitions of deviance.

Public Morality

The collective norms and values judged as 'right' by the society that moral entrepreneurs aim to shape or protect.

Deviance

Behavior that violates societal norms and expectations, which is often labeled and defined by moral entrepreneurs.