Jeffrey S. Victor

About the author: Jeffrey S. Victor is a professor of sociology at State University of New York. He is the author of Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend.

Claims about teen involvement in satanic cult activity are widely disseminated but are generally misinterpreted. Graffiti, cemetery vandalism, and sites mistaken as satanic altars are usually remnants of adolescent legend trips, a form of recreational entertainment in which teens test local legends about haunted sites or paranormal phenomena. When teens see the effect these innocent symbols have on adults who believe them to be evidence of satanic cults, many teens deliberately encourage such beliefs by acting out a parody of satanic cult activities. Other so-called occultrelated crime is primarily petty juvenile crime by pseudo-Satanists who are self-taught from friends, books, heavy...