Mythos — Season 1, Episode 1: Psyche & Symbol: The psychological impulse for and response to myth

Episode synopsis

Campbell begins "Psyche and Symbol" by explaining how a functioning mythology serves both the individual and the society. Then he explains that psychology provides insights into how we live our lives. The more we know about our common psychological roots, the more we feel connected to those roots. He continues to talk about the self, the relationship between man and woman, as well as how the universal themes are accessible to all through art.

About Mythos

Mythos is a three-part documentary that consists of a series of lectures given by Joseph Campbell. Campbell conceived of the original lectures, filmed over the last six years of his life, as a summation of what he had learned about the human mythic impulse, in terms of psychology, ethnology and comparative mythology—what he called "the one great story of mankind."

More episodes from Season 1

• E2The Spirit Land: How myths awakened American Indians to the mystery of life
• E3On Being Human: The emergence of myth in early hunter-gatherer societies
• E4From Goddesses to God: The gradual shift from the Goddess to male, warlike deities
• E5The Mystical Life: Non-biblical mythic strains that helped shape the Western spirit