  This paper seeks to derive the modified KdV (mKdV) equation using a novel
approach from systems generated from abstract Lagrangians that possess a
two-parameter symmetry group. The method to do uses a modified modulation
approach, which results in the mKdV emerging with coefficients related to the
conservation laws possessed by the original Lagrangian system. Alongside this,
an adaptation of the method of Kuramoto is developed, providing a simpler
mechanism to determine the coefficients of the nonlinear term. The theory is
illustrated using two examples of physical interest, one in stratified
hydrodynamics and another using a coupled Nonlinear Schr\"odinger model, to
illustrate how the criterion for the mKdV equation to emerge may be assessed
and its coefficients generated.
