Jonathan Young
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Young is a psychologist
who became the founding curator of the Joseph Campbell
Archives.
in India and Japan.
His graduate studies focused on the psychology of stories, and included work with Viktor Frankl
, Rollo May
, Abraham Maslow
, and Carl Rogers
.
Young is best known for his series of books, Saga: Best New Writings on Mythology. He assisted mythologist Joseph Campbell
for several years at seminars. In addition to the Campbell archives, he organized the collections of psychologist James Hillman
, and archeologist Marija Gimbutas
. As a professor, Young created and chaired the Mythological Studies Department at the Pacifica Graduate Institute
, working with Jungian theorists such as Robert Bly
, Marion Woodman
, Robert A. Johnson
, Jean Houston
, and Thomas Moore
.
He launched the Center for Story and Symbol in Santa Barbara, California
to continue the work of Joseph Campbell
. Through the center's programs, he presents seminars internationally on the uses of mythic stories for therapists, writers, clergy, and teachers. He also teaches the hero's journey
in screenwriting programs. He lectures occasionally at universities, such as UCLA, Notre Dame
, and Oxford
. He is featured in the History Channel documentary Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed
.
Psychologist
Psychologist is a professional or academic title used by individuals who are either:* Clinical professionals who work with patients in a variety of therapeutic contexts .* Scientists conducting psychological research or teaching psychology in a college...
who became the founding curator of the Joseph Campbell
Joseph Campbell
Joseph John Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work is vast, covering many aspects of the human experience...
Archives.
Background
Young developed an interest in the teaching functions of stories through early exposure to folklore. He was one of six children in a much-traveled family. His parents read and discussed the lore of each place they visited, such as the Little Mermaid in Copenhagen, the Pied Piper in Hamelin, the Arabian Nights in Bagdad, and the BuddhaGautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
in India and Japan.
His graduate studies focused on the psychology of stories, and included work with Viktor Frankl
Viktor Frankl
Viktor Emil Frankl M.D., Ph.D. was an Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist as well as a Holocaust survivor. Frankl was the founder of logotherapy, which is a form of Existential Analysis, the "Third Viennese School of Psychotherapy"...
, Rollo May
Rollo May
Rollo May was an American existential psychologist. He authored the influential book Love and Will during 1969. He is often associated with both humanistic psychology and existentialist philosophy. May was a close friend of the theologian Paul Tillich...
, Abraham Maslow
Abraham Maslow
Abraham Harold Maslow was an American professor of psychology at Brandeis University, Brooklyn College, New School for Social Research and Columbia University who created Maslow's hierarchy of needs...
, and Carl Rogers
Carl Rogers
Carl Ransom Rogers was an influential American psychologist and among the founders of the humanistic approach to psychology...
.
Career
Joseph Campbell
Joseph John Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work is vast, covering many aspects of the human experience...
for several years at seminars. In addition to the Campbell archives, he organized the collections of psychologist James Hillman
James Hillman
James Hillman was an American psychologist. He studied at, and then guided studies for, the C.G. Jung Institute in Zurich, founded a movement toward archetypal psychology and retired into private practice, writing and traveling to lecture, until his death at his home in Connecticut on October 27,...
, and archeologist Marija Gimbutas
Marija Gimbutas
Marija Gimbutas , was a Lithuanian-American archeologist known for her research into the Neolithic and Bronze Age cultures of "Old Europe", a term she introduced. Her works published between 1946 and 1971 introduced new views by combining traditional spadework with linguistics and mythological...
. As a professor, Young created and chaired the Mythological Studies Department at the Pacifica Graduate Institute
Pacifica Graduate Institute
Pacifica Graduate Institute is an accredited, for-profit American graduate school with two campuses near Santa Barbara, California. The institute offers master's and doctoral degrees in the fields of psychology, mythological studies, and the humanities....
, working with Jungian theorists such as Robert Bly
Robert Bly
Robert Bly is an American poet, author, activist and leader of the Mythopoetic Men's Movement.-Life:Bly was born in Lac qui Parle County, Minnesota, to Jacob and Alice Bly, who were of Norwegian ancestry. Following graduation from high school in 1944, he enlisted in the United States Navy, serving...
, Marion Woodman
Marion Woodman
Marion Woodman is a Canadian mythopoetic author and women's movement figure. She is a Jungian analyst trained at the C. G. Jung Institute in Zürich, Switzerland. She is one of the most widely read authors on feminine psychology, focusing on psyche and soma. She is also an international lecturer...
, Robert A. Johnson
Robert A. Johnson
Robert A. Johnson is a rock and blues guitarist based in Memphis, Tennessee who is best known for his work in the 1970s. He is usually known professionally as "Robert Johnson." He is no relation to the 1930s era blues guitarist Robert Johnson.Early in his career Johnson played in bands with Jack...
, Jean Houston
Jean Houston
Jean Houston is an American scholar, lecturer, author and philosopher who has helped pioneer and motivate the human potentials movement. As a teacher and visionary thinker, Houston holds conferences and seminars with social leaders, educational institutions and business organizations worldwide...
, and Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore
Thomas Moore was an Irish poet, singer, songwriter, and entertainer, now best remembered for the lyrics of The Minstrel Boy and The Last Rose of Summer. He was responsible, with John Murray, for burning Lord Byron's memoirs after his death...
.
He launched the Center for Story and Symbol in Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
to continue the work of Joseph Campbell
Joseph Campbell
Joseph John Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work is vast, covering many aspects of the human experience...
. Through the center's programs, he presents seminars internationally on the uses of mythic stories for therapists, writers, clergy, and teachers. He also teaches the hero's journey
Monomyth
Joseph Campbell's term monomyth, also referred to as the hero's journey, is a basic pattern that its proponents argue is found in many narratives from around the world. This widely distributed pattern was described by Campbell in The Hero with a Thousand Faces...
in screenwriting programs. He lectures occasionally at universities, such as UCLA, Notre Dame
University of Notre Dame
The University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States...
, and Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. He is featured in the History Channel documentary Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed
Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed
Star Wars: The Legacy Revealed is a TV documentary which premiered on The History Channel in May of 2007. It was produced by Prometheus Entertainment in association with The History Channel and Lucasfilm Ltd...
.
Works
- Saga: Best New Writings on Mythology
- Article on Joseph CampbellJoseph CampbellJoseph John Campbell was an American mythologist, writer and lecturer, best known for his work in comparative mythology and comparative religion. His work is vast, covering many aspects of the human experience...
, The Dictionary of Modern American Philosophers