In his anthropological study of primitive societies Dr. Cook was impressed by the occurrence in all these societies of what he described as the boogieman, a mythical horror figure that permeated the art and religious beliefs of all these groups. Since the societies were all unrelated and had no connection with each other he explained this phenomenon in terms of what Carl Jung had described as archetypes.

Although a contemporary of Freud, Carl Jung emphasized not only the individual's personal unconscious but what he described as the collective unconscious. This according to Jung contained the universal memories and history of mankind. From his study of myths, folklore and art in cultures all over the world, Jung was impressed by common and repeated images which he called archetypes. Typical archetypes include the all powerful god, the young hero, fairy godmothers and the themes of rebirth and resurrection. Although these archetypes remain unconscious, Jung believed that they influence are thoughts and emotions and render us responsive to cultural themes.