The phrase "an underlying myth" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing a fundamental belief or narrative that influences perceptions or behaviors, often in a cultural or social context.
Example: "The story of the American Dream is often seen as an underlying myth that shapes the aspirations of many individuals in the United States."
Alternatives: "a foundational belief" or "a core narrative".
A fifth cross-cutting theme – Progress – can be added if horizon scanning involves attention to new and different narratives of progress and an analysis of underlying myths.
This process starts by acknowledging the flaws of common motivational practices and challenging their underlying myths with actual evidence.
It is, she said, the science of "seeking to find the real geological event underlying a myth or legend to which it has given rise".
It's what underlies the myth of the good Southern family; or the notion of the Southern gentleman, of honor and Old World grace and hospitality; or the filthy romance of the Confederate flag; or the sugary fables of "Gone with the Wind".
President Obama should concurrently renounce the three day recess myth underlying Senate pro forma sessions announcing a simple test: If the Senate is not sitting as a deliberative body able to provide timely confirmation consent, the Executive may fill any vacant federal office.
This is the myth underlying the continued support of the Oslo arrangements long after they were set to expire in 1999.
Democratic operatives have prepared a sustained attack against what they call myths underlying Mr. McCain's reputation for straight talk.
Future studies refer to the science, art, and practice of postulating possible, probable, and preferable futures; this may also include worldviews and myths underlying these postulations [1].
A subtle underlying levity prevailed.
A misunderstanding about the relationship between state authority and mass killing underlay an American myth of the Holocaust that prevailed in the early 21st century: that the US was a country that intentionally rescued people from the genocides caused by overweening states.
