Alarmism
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Alarmism is excessive or exaggerated alarm about a real or imagined threat e.g. the increases in deaths from infectious disease.[1] In the news media, alarmism can be a form of Yellow journalism where reports sensationalise a story to exaggerate small risks.[2]
Alarmist personality
The alarmist person is subject to the cognitive distortion of catastrophizing – of always expecting the worst of possible futures.[3]
They may also be seeking to preserve feelings of omnipotence by generating anxiety and concern in others.[4]
False accusation
The charge of alarmism can of course be used to discredit a legitimate warning, as when Churchill was widely dismissed as an alarmist in the 1930s.[5]
See also
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References
External links
- Panic Watch - Lists and blogs concerning media panic, health scares, paranoia, and conspiracy theories
