The Validity of the Myth as an Active Psychic Function in the Unconscious Search for Meaning

Abstract

This text helps to answer the question of whether the validity of myth has an active psychic function in the unconscious search for meaning in the life of modern men, which is assumed to be far removed from all mythical and ritual thought and immersed in a context in which reason is the only criterion of truth. The text focuses, therefore, on analyzing the power and influence of this psychic reality in the conscious world and on reflecting on whether this imaginal phenomenon has any use in the civilizing process or whether, on the contrary, the myth is rather a ballast, a simple chimera that makes it difficult to understand and accept the complicated conditions of today’s existence. The texts also reflects on whether dealing with this imaginal and symbolic universe meets the unconscious expectations and desires of today’s men to find meaning in their existence. The research methodology is based on the psychic phenomenology proposed by Carl Jung, and is also nourished, to a large extent, by the theoretical and conceptual contributions of the Romanian philosopher Mircea Eliade. In the rational world, the subconscious of current human beings does not cease to present innumerable myths and symbols, since it is never completely detached from the imaginal world. This is due to the fact that individuals are unconsciously influenced by ancestral mythological models of behavior that remain latent in the depths of the human being.

Keywords

• collective unconscious
• symbol
• archetype
• phenomenology
• psyche
• primitive mentality