--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My own bias in folkloristics is decidedly…" description: "\"My own bias in folkloristics is decidedly psychoanalytic. I believe that the vast majority of folklore concerns fantasy, and because of that, I am pers..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/alan-dundes-23442_believe_my-own-bias-in-folkloristics-is-decidedl_2784068.jpg" --- # My own bias in folkloristics is decidedly psychoanalytic… ![“My own bias in folkloristics is decidedly psychoanalytic. I believe that the vast majority of folklore concerns fantasy, and because of that, I am persuaded that techniques of analyzing fantasy are relevant to folklore data.” quote by Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/alan-dundes-23442_believe_my-own-bias-in-folkloristics-is-decidedl_2784068.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/alan-dundes-23442_believe_my-own-bias-in-folkloristics-is-decidedl_2784068.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/alan-dundes-23442_believe_my-own-bias-in-folkloristics-is-decidedl_2784068.jpg) > “My own bias in folkloristics is decidedly psychoanalytic. I believe that the vast majority of folklore concerns fantasy, and because of that, I am persuaded that techniques of analyzing fantasy are relevant to folklore data.” [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Argues that most folklore is fantasy, so psychoanalytic methods are suitable for its study. **In simple terms:** Folklore is mostly fantasy; use psychoanalysis to study it. Key Takeaway Apply psychoanalytic tools to folklore research. Themes folklore psychoanalysis fantasy Mood analytical critical Type academic theoretical When to use this quote - anthropology research - university courses - fieldwork - interpretive analysis Key Concepts cultural studies psychology mythology Questions to Reflect On - How does psychoanalysis reveal hidden meanings? - Is fantasy the dominant element in all folklore? A Different Perspective May overlook non‑fantasy aspects of folklore. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Data](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/data/) [Fantasy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fantasy/) [Folklore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/folklore/) ## Related quotes > [If a student takes the whole series of my folklore courses including the graduate seminars, he or she should learn something about fieldwork, something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/if-a-student-takes-the-whole-series-of-my-folklore-courses-including/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [It is important to recognize that folklore is not simply a way of obtaining available date about identity for social scientists; it is actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/it-is-important-to-recognize-that-folklore-is-not-simply-a-way-of/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [They do not merely collect texts; they must also gather data about the context and the informant and, above all, write an analysis of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/they-do-not-merely-collect-texts-they-must-also-gather-data-about-the/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [There is more to folklore research than fieldwork. This is why in all of my other upper-division courses I require a term paper involving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/there-is-more-to-folklore-research-than-fieldwork-this-is-why-in-all/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [I find all folklore challenging, and I never cease to be grateful that I became a professional folklorist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/i-find-all-folklore-challenging-and-i-never-cease-to-be-grateful-that/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [As a folklorist, I have come to believe that no piece of folklore continues to be transmitted unless it means something - even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/as-a-folklorist-i-have-come-to-believe-that-no-piece-of-folklore/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [In my introductory course, Anthropology 160, the Forms of Folklore, I try to show the students what the major and minor genres of folklore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/in-my-introductory-course-anthropology-160-the-forms-of-folklore-i/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [My academic identity is that of a folklorist, and for many years I have taught only folklore courses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/my-academic-identity-is-that-of-a-folklorist-and-for-many-years-i/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [I have a great advantage over many of my colleagues inasmuch as my students bring with them to class their own personal knowledge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/i-have-a-great-advantage-over-many-of-my-colleagues-inasmuch-as-my/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [The study of folklore is largely the study of particular folklore genres: myth, folktale, legend, ballad, proverb, riddle, superstition, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/the-study-of-folklore-is-largely-the-study-of-particular-folklore/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [Their term project consists of a fieldwork collection of folklore that they create by interviewing family members, friends, or anyone they can manage to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/their-term-project-consists-of-a-fieldwork-collection-of-folklore/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [The class has become over the years fairly large, running to three hundred or more, but I always insist upon reading all the student…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/the-class-has-become-over-the-years-fairly-large-running-to-three/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [Folklore provides a socially sanctioned outlet for the discussion of the forbidden and taboo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/folklore-provides-a-socially-sanctioned-outlet-for-the-discussion-of/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [“The host is rushing 'twixt day and night, And where is there hope or deed as fair? Caoilte tossing his burning hair, And Niamh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-b-yeats/the-host-is-rushing-twixt-day-and-night-and-where-is-there-hope-or/) [W.B. Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-b-yeats/) > [I think being raised within a Mexican Catholic family made magical realism a very natural part of who I am as a person and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-olivas/i-think-being-raised-within-a-mexican-catholic-family-made-magical/) [Daniel Olivas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-olivas/) ## More by Alan Dundes > [Folklore provides a socially sanctioned outlet for the discussion of the forbidden and taboo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/folklore-provides-a-socially-sanctioned-outlet-for-the-discussion-of/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [The class has become over the years fairly large, running to three hundred or more, but I always insist upon reading all the student…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/the-class-has-become-over-the-years-fairly-large-running-to-three/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [Their term project consists of a fieldwork collection of folklore that they create by interviewing family members, friends, or anyone they can manage to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/their-term-project-consists-of-a-fieldwork-collection-of-folklore/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [In the light of our culture, these are not unreasonable questions and tactics, but if once again, we try to see the lens through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/in-the-light-of-our-culture-these-are-not-unreasonable-questions-and/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [The study of folklore is largely the study of particular folklore genres: myth, folktale, legend, ballad, proverb, riddle, superstition, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/the-study-of-folklore-is-largely-the-study-of-particular-folklore/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [Cities all over the world are getting bigger as more and more people move from rural to urban sites, but that has created enormous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/cities-all-over-the-world-are-getting-bigger-as-more-and-more-people/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [I have a great advantage over many of my colleagues inasmuch as my students bring with them to class their own personal knowledge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/i-have-a-great-advantage-over-many-of-my-colleagues-inasmuch-as-my/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [Americans do believe in progress and there is almost certainly a kernel of truth in the joke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/americans-do-believe-in-progress-and-there-is-almost-certainly-a/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [Americans have a penchant for the future and tend to disregard the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/americans-have-a-penchant-for-the-future-and-tend-to-disregard-the/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [I mentioned that one of the tripartite formulas in American worldview involves time: past, present, and future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/i-mentioned-that-one-of-the-tripartite-formulas-in-american-worldview/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [My academic identity is that of a folklorist, and for many years I have taught only folklore courses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/my-academic-identity-is-that-of-a-folklorist-and-for-many-years-i/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [In my introductory course, Anthropology 160, the Forms of Folklore, I try to show the students what the major and minor genres of folklore…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/in-my-introductory-course-anthropology-160-the-forms-of-folklore-i/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [As a folklorist, I have come to believe that no piece of folklore continues to be transmitted unless it means something - even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/as-a-folklorist-i-have-come-to-believe-that-no-piece-of-folklore/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [Life, it seems, is nothing if not a series of initiations, transitions, and incorporations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/life-it-seems-is-nothing-if-not-a-series-of-initiations-transitions/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) > [I find all folklore challenging, and I never cease to be grateful that I became a professional folklorist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-dundes/i-find-all-folklore-challenging-and-i-never-cease-to-be-grateful-that/) [Alan Dundes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) [Explore all 26 Alan Dundes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-dundes/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. 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Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. 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