Final answer:
Myths deeply influence present-day social arrangements and provide a framework for understanding and integrating new societal values, as seen in the Bolshevik Revolution. By invoking the collective unconscious, leaders consciously adapt and create myths, imparting emotional resonance that legitimizes social hierarchies and reinforces national identity.
Step-by-step explanation:
The beliefs and norms that support present-day social arrangements can often trace their origins to myths that are deeply embedded in a culture's narrative. In the context of societal change, such as that experienced during the Bolshevik Revolution, leaders like Lenin recognized the power of myth to consolidate a new social order, replacing tsarist symbolism with revolutionary iconography. These myths and rituals did not simply vanish but instead were re-contextualized to support the values and objectives of the new socialist ideology, demonstrating the critical role that myth plays in the social integration and collective identity of a nation.Myths arise out of the collective unconscious and have the potential to shape social and moral codes through mechanisms like self-fulfilling prophecy, as described by Merton. Thus, they have a profound impact on not just individual behavior, but on the structure of society as a whole. It is the emotional resonance and intuitive understanding of mythological frameworks that give them such enduring power to define and legitimize social hierarchies, justify actions, and establish a sense of belonging.By embedding new societal values into the enduring fabric of myth, leaders can not only direct the evolution of society but can also reaffirm and strengthen the social bonds that unify their constituents. Therefore, the development and dissemination of myths are not an accidental process but a deliberate tool for social engineering and cohesion, often utilized in the creation and perpetuation of national identity and ideology.