Satanism in America: An Update

The Satanism scare was a significant moral panic in America in the 1980s and early 1990s. Scholars analyzed it from a social constructionist perspective, citing a number of factors and developments whose confluence contributed to this high-visibility moral panic. The authors examine those factors that were deemed of importance in the rise of the Satanism scare, to ascertain why the scare seems to have waned in recent years. Particular attention is given to developments within the justice system, the professions of psychology and psychiatry, and the waning of the Anti-Cult Movement to explain why the panic lost momentum. Other contributing factors are also discussed, including the weakening of Christian Fundamentalism as a force in society and the shift of attention of the mass media and the general public to other topics. Attention also is given to various behaviors among youth that have redefined and contributed to the maintenance of Satanism as a social phenomenon of note.