Mental health articles

mythopoetic definition Synonyms Myth-making; Mythologizing Definition The term mythopoetic refers to a tendency to reduce the mythoi or cosmic stories of a people or culture into paradigms of human psychological functioning. Myths were once used by societies to relate experiences to the functioning of the whole and often hierarchical world order of a created world but mythopoeia is now used as a tool for individuals to gain personal insight intotheir own psychological functioning. This is often done without due reference to or regard for the larger societal or cultural epoch. For instance, some enthusiasts of this approach to men’s health assert that the archetypes of the priest, king, warrior and lover are to be found within each man and that healthy masculine functioning requires the adequate exploration, expression and
integration of these archetypes within the male psyche.
Unfortunately, anachronistic images and understandings of these archetypes are very often converted into self-help strategies and practices that lack suitable explanatory power or therapeutic value.

Tags: mythopoetic