Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend [Paperback]

Jeffrey S. Victor (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 19, 1993

"Sociologist Victor began his involvement with satanic-cult phenomena by investigating a local panic centered in southwestern New York state. After an introductory section, his book begins with a description of this research, then proceeds with an excellent general review of recent fear about satanic cults in the U.S. He concludes that there is no evidence for the actual existence of organized satanic cults". -- Choice

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Victor relies heavily upon the theories of social behavior and urban legends to explore and explain the "rumors, claims, and allegations" about Satanic cult crime in American society. Helpfully, he uses a language that renders the theories understandable to the lay reader, thus clearing away the psychological and linguistic smoke screen that usually accompanies the idea of Satanism. Along with his clear, well-researched analysis, Victor ( Human Sexuality , 1980) provides the reader with several appendixes, including an excellent bibliography and names and addresses of professionals who can be contacted for help. Parents, school administrators, police, and psychotherapists will find this a valuable tool as they investigate the underlying motivations of the Satanic panic in America. It should be made available to balance the one-sided, hysteria-driven production of books created by Satanic "experts" and "survivors."-- John B. Wright, Brigham Young Univ. , Provo, Utah
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 436 pages
• Publisher: Open Court Publishing Company; 1st Printing 1993 edition (April 19, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081269192X
• ISBN-13: 978-0812691924
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #717,903 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A lucid, rational view of an emotionally charged issue, July 15, 2000

By 

Ima Pseudonym "Entil_Zha" (Somewhere) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend (Hardcover)

The author does a wonderful job of dissecting the nature of the "panic" that had many Americans believing in the existence of a Satanic "underground" movement in the eighties and early nineties. Extremely readable and not couched in overly academic language, the book is useful for anyone who needs solid, reasonable information on the subject--the lay public, academics, the clergy, or police officers will all benefit from reading this work and keeping an open mind.

Victor follows the panic from a number of angles; religious, sociologic, folkloric, and so on. For each he presents a balanced case that seeks not to ridicule anyone who "bought into" the stories of widespread Satanism, but simply to understand why they did so. He also shows how some people (psychologists, police, and so on) actually thrived on the notoriety they achieved in their capacity as "witch hunter" and sought to keep the panic alive in order to further their own agendas.

Excellent reading, and a book that shows the danger of blindly believing rumors and unverified conspiracy tales.

27 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Look At Modern Witch-hunting, April 14, 2000

By 

"bryan_benway" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend (Hardcover)

I just finished reading this fascinating book and highly recommend it. Everyone should be aware of these FACTS which debunk the whole Christian "Satanic Ritual Abuse" scare campaign. Very thorough and well-researched, this book is a much-needed rational antidote to the current poisonous false accusations against innocent people. Its hard to believe that huge numbers of people will believe such far-out allegations as those of the so-called "experts" (many of which have already been shown to be total frauds) without any evidence except the fantasies of mentally-ill people & small children manipulated into telling tall tales. I became interested in this book from reading about the "West Memphis 3" case, in which 3 youths were convicted of murder (one is on Death Row) without any hard evidence, just the "Satanic Panic" accusations. You think such insane things as the Salem Witch Trials are a thing of the past? Think again! A great non-fiction read---FIVE STARS!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A balanced history and a welcome warning for the future, October 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend (Paperback)

Jeffrey Victor has given form to the nervous dismissal most of us might feel when faced with claims of a massive Satanist conspiracy. He's done fantastic amounts of research and weaves between courtrooms and sociologist themes with a well-tempered ear for detail. In times where we learn to assume that the worst is possible, I'm thrilled to see someone debunk an extreme end of the "regress and confess" school of accusational therapy -- because nobody will take actual abuse as seriously while this Satanic nonsense distracts. Plus, it's a fun read for anyone who digs crime lit or Oliver Sacks books... fine work.