Editing Joseph Campbell (section)

===Psychology and anthropology===

The anthropologist [[Leo Frobenius]] and his disciple [[Adolf Ellegard Jensen]] were important to Campbell's view of cultural history. Campbell was also influenced by the psychological work of [[Abraham Maslow]] and [[Stanislav Grof]].

Campbell's ideas regarding myth and its relation to the [[human psyche]] are dependent in part on the pioneering work of [[Sigmund Freud]], but in particular on the work of Jung, whose studies of [[human psychology]] greatly influenced Campbell. Campbell's conception of myth is closely related to the [[Jungian]] method of [[dream interpretation]], which is heavily reliant on [[symbol]]ic interpretation. Jung's insights into [[archetype]]s were heavily influenced by the ''[[Bardo Thodol]]'' (also known as ''The Tibetan Book of the Dead''). In his book ''The [[Myth]]ic [[Image]]'', Campbell quotes Jung's statement about the ''Bardo Thodol'', that it

{{blockquote|belongs to that class of writings which not only are of interest to specialists in [[Mahayana Buddhism]], but also, because of their deep humanity and still deeper [[insight]] into the secrets of the [[human psyche]], make an especial appeal to the [[layman]] seeking to broaden his knowledge of life&nbsp;... For years, ever since it was first published, the ''Bardo Thodol'' has been my constant companion, and to it I owe not only many stimulating ideas and discoveries, but also many fundamental insights.{{sfn|Campbell|1974|p=392}}}}