Joseph Campbell's 4 Functions of Myth

The 4 major categories of social and personal mythology

According to the famous cultural mythologist Joseph Campbell, myths serve many functions to individuals and their societies, but there are four that are most important. 

The Mystical

The mystical function is at play when people are in awe regarding their astonishment of the wonders of Nature, as with the recent eclipse.  The eclipse itself is not a myth. But it can evoke myths, especially those that serve the mystical function. Ancient societies often created myths about monsters eating the sun, and they devised rituals to bring back the sun. They worked every time! So the "devouring the sun" became a long lasting myth, much to the regret it might have caused those people who were sacrificed to bring it back. People can react to eclipses in a variety of mystical ways, such as evoking a sense of wonder at the vastness of the universe, or feeling a unity with all of humankind in those areas where the eclipse can be seen. The mystical awareness of community can also be evoked during sports events or musical concerts where virtually everyone in the audience feels that they are a part of a greater community.

The Cosmological

The second function is cosmological, helping people envision the universe in which they live.  This function produces schema of their universe, their planet, and their psyche. The ancient Greeks knew that the Earth is round, even though in common parlance it was flat. When European explorers asked native tribes people this question, they were told that Earth rested on the back of a turtle. When asked on what the turtle rested, they were told "turtles all the way down." They often referred to Earth as "Turtle Island." Of course each tribe had its own cosmology. This function was also applied to people’s bodies, sometimes focusing on its "meridians" and "acupuncture points." Some cultures described "seven spinal chakras," that practitioners used to diagnose and treat illness. Other cultures often spoke of these "energy centers," ranging from three to twelve or more.

The Sociological

Campbell also wrote about the sociological function of mythology, as it helped people fit into their social niche. The caste system in old India would be an example of a cultural myth now seen as dysfunctional, although it was outlawed several decades ago, it is still practiced in some parts of the country. But in previous eras, the caste mythology automatically assigned people to a predetermined caste, such as the laborer, the warrior, the scholar/priest, and the "untouchable" --  an assignment so vile that those from other castes were forbidden to touch them, much less eat with them or sleep with them.

The Psychological

Campbell also wrote about mythology's psychological functions. There are several "personality systems" in mythology such as the "humor" typology of ancient Greeks. The three "gunas" in India, and Western psychology's categories of "introvert, extravert, and ambivert," and the "conscious, the preconscious, and the unconscious" to describe the motivations of people. The psychological function also helps people move through their lives with appropriate "rites of passage," such as baptism, First Communion, bar mizpah and bat mizpah, graduations, sexual initiation, marriage, and Last Rites.