ABSTRACT
Most definitions in the study of myth, religion, and culture are best conceived of as kinds of description or as "generalized interpretation" and as such they inevitably come with some degree of imprecision. In a historical perspective, some mythological formations have been more enduring than others. Many anthropologists have applied sociological approaches in their studies of myth in traditional societies. Sociological theories of myth are often "Correspondence theories" as they focus on the correspondences between social facts and their representations in myths. Correspondence theories also come under that label of "symbolism" but that term is somewhat misleading in that there may not be any specific symbols or symbolizing involved; it is rather the idea that myths reflect, or "symbolize", more basic social forms, such as kinship or legal rules. Myth is "masking" and most often in the form of unconscious projections. Projection is a psychological mechanism whereby subjective phenomena become treated as real, objective and independent objects.
