Alarmism

Alarmism is excessive or exaggerated alarm of a real or imagined threat. Alarmism connotes attempts to excite fears or giving warnings of great danger in a manner that is amplified, overemphasized or unwarranted. In the news media, alarmism can often be found in the form of yellow journalism where reports sensationalise a story to exaggerate small risks.

Alarmist personality

The alarmist person is subject to the cognitive distortion of catastrophizing – of always expecting the worst of possible futures.

They may also be seeking to preserve feelings of omnipotence by trying to generate anxiety, apprehension and concern in others.

See also

• 2009 flu pandemic
• 2012 phenomenon
• Cassandra complex
• Climate alarmism
• Culture of fear – fear and anxiety in public discourse
• False alarm
• Fearmongering – use of fear to influence opinions
• Hypochondriasis – excessive fear of illness and physical harm
• Mass hysteria – public fear in large populations
• Moral panic – threat to societal values
• Sociology of disaster – a special branch of sociology
• The Boy Who Cried Wolf – fable about false alarmism
• The Sky Is Falling – fable about alarmism
• Safety culture
• Conspiracy theory