ABSTRACT
A myth is a self-deception that people embrace unquestioningly because it provides them with a degree of security and comfort. It is an assumption about their own nature or about the nature of others that is not valid but is, nevertheless, taken for granted. The misuse of power in human affairs is one of the sources of personal and social myths. Personal myths arise in childhood because of the many opportunities for parental power to be abused. Parents continue to be seen as good, strong, all-knowing, even when they do silly, foolish, and even destructive things to children. Reality has a way of jolting people out of complacency. It brings them face to face with parts of themselves that they have disowned or denied. There are segments of society in a position to misuse power and to deny that any such misuse exists. Rationalizations buttress the denial.
