The Vanishing Hitchhiker By Jan Harold Brunvand

Urban legends have been around for a very long time. And they have also become a vile impact on the psychological and historical viewpoint of many people. A reflection of societies fears. Small campfire stories, or even miniscule urban myths to tell a child for their own protection. Psychologically, urban legends seem to manipulate people’s perspectives and in some cases their everyday life. Historically, some urban legends were proven to be true. An urban legend is a fictitious record, or a secondhand story that is allegedly true. Normally urban legends are created out of horrific events or sometimes an exaggerated series of events. Urban legends are stories that "supposedly" happened to a real person. And they are told from one person to another, usually with the intention to scare the other person. Urban legends are usually seen as a cautionary tale to tell, especially to children and young adults. The phrase "urban legend" did not appear in popular content until the early 1980's. The public use of it was made by folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand. The first book made using the subject of urban legends, The Vanishing Hitchhiker: American Urban Legends and Their meaning (W.W. Norton, 1981). After the increased appeal and liking of these types of novels, many people began to

Though, the influence, interpretations or reactions can vary from each person as an individual, they typically offer a moral lesson or cautionary tale. Some urban legends do not offer anything very constructive to society as a whole, Slender man being an example. The moral lesson an urban legend has on society, and the overall impact of each story, depend on the individual. The response society has to a urban legend differs immensely from who is telling the story and who is hearing it. Not only can urban legends encourage physical decisions, but they can also effect the mental state of a person and sometimes cause someone to have intense