Some might call this the culture and personality approach to. I had just decided to spend some time living in japan little suspecting that some time would turn out to be a big part of the rest of my life and i. The culture and personality movement was at the core of anthropology in the first half of the 20th century. American cultural anthropologist who developed what is known as the configurational approach to anthropology, exploring the way in which the diverse institutions, activities and traits of a given culture are integrated into a patterned. After studying anthropology at the new school of social research under elsie clews parsons, she entered graduate studies at columbia university in 1921, where she studied under franz boas. Ruth benedict was one of the leading figures in the culture and personality school, which dominated anthropology during the 1930s and the 1940s. She entered graduate studies at columbia university in 1919, where she studied under franz boas. Patterns of culture, which became an exemplary model of the integration of societies, and the chrysanthemum and the sword, a study of japanese culture commissioned by the u. Patterns of japanese culture is a 1946 study of japan by american anthropologist ruth benedict. Ruth benedicts anthropological book, patterns of culture explores the dualism of culture and personality.
Her book by that name revolutionized anthropological study, igniting the work of the culture and personality movement within anthropology. At vassar college, from 1905 to 1909, her main training was in english literature. I found the book to be engaging and wellwritten, if at times slightly protractive and repetitive. Franz boas theory of cultural relativism also permeates benedicts writing. Ruth fulton benedict facts the american cultural anthropologist ruth fulton benedict 18871948 originated the configurational approach to culture. She strengthened the bonds among the branches of social science. Ruth benedict ruth benedicts anthropological book, patterns of culture explores the dualism of culture and personality. The theory of culture and personality also drew on boas cultural relativism and freuds psychoanalysis about. Ruth benedict american anthropologist and author britannica. Pointing to the diversity of accepted behavior within diverse societies, benedict famously concludes. Is jenner a better fit in american or papuan culture.
Dualism of culture and personality in the modern age, many anthropological studies of personality in primitive cultures have shown intimate relation of personality and culture. A survey of culture and personality theory and research. Each culture she finds is so different and distinctive in relation to the norm of our society. Benedict graduated from vassar college in 1909, lived in europe for a year, and then settled in california, where she taught in girls schools. Benedict, ruth fulton national womens hall of fame. Ruth benedict vassar college encyclopedia vassar college. The book starts out with two sections, largely theoretical.
These studies have shown that man is far more cultural being than imagined by the psychologists. Benedicts first book, tales of the cochiti indians 1931, and her twovolume zuni. Then, after three years of teaching, she turned to research and experimental. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Featured content includes commentary on major characters, 25 important quotes, essay topics, and key themes like culture and personality and cultural relativism. From the very first chapter, the science of custom and the first page, anthropology is the study of human beings as creatures of society, the. Office of war information, in order to understand and predict the behavior of the japanese in world war ii by reference to a series of contradictions in traditional culture. Ruth fulton benedict, renowned anthropologist, ethnographer, field researcher, and founder of the integrative approach to culture, viewed smallscale culture. First of all, ruth benedicts the chrysanthemum and the sword does a decent job of a difficult task which is to conduct an ethnographical study of a culture and country that one has never lived in. Dec 09, 2002 ruth benedicts anthropological book, patterns of culture explores the dualism of culture and personality.
Ruth fulton benedict june 5, 1887 september 17, 1948 was an american anthropologist. Ruth benedicts obituary for japanese culture the asia. As benedict wrote in that book, a culture, like an individual, is a more or less consistent pattern of thought and action 46. Ruth benedict, american anthropologist whose theories had a profound influence on cultural anthropology, especially in the area of culture and personality. Ruth benedict the name under which the author usually published argues for the importance of culture in analyzing not only behavior but the underlying values and thought processes that lead to. She was born in new york city, attended vassar college and graduated in 1909. After studying anthropology at the new school of social research under elsie clews parsons, she entered graduate studies at columbia university in 1921, where she. In her book patterns of culture, benedict studied the pueblo culture and how they dealt with grieving and death. The site tag for ruth benedict contains related blogposts. In her 1934 book titled, patterns of culture, the anthropologist ruth benedict explained the congruency between personality and culture in terms of b and c. Ruth benedict interesting stories about famous people. In this connection, the discoveries by ruth benedict, ralph linton, and abram kardiner are notable. Patterns of culture by ruth benedict in chm, djvu, fb2 download e book. Franz boas and many of his students such as ruth benedict argued against.
List of books and articles about ruth benedict online. Patterns of culture by ruth benedict 1934 wins jared. There are also two appendices, one on personality disorders and another on african perspectives on personality. His book, early civilization, published in 1922, presented cultures briefly as wholes. Ive taught ruth benedict in my cultural anthropology 2016 course which concentrates on the concept of culture. Culture and personality anthropology oxford bibliographies. Benedict studies different cultures such as the zuni tribe and the dobu indians. When benedict died suddenly at the age of sixtyone, she was popularly known for two bestselling works. In short, as benedict moves from the general concept of culture in the first pages of patterns of culture to the notion of specific cultures in her accounts, the peoples become isolates, shorn from history. Benedicts strong belief in the applied study of cultural relativismthe theory that a culture or group of people can be studied only against the backdrop of itself was the motivating force in patterns of culture 1934, which the. During her career in the social sciences she thought of cultures as total constructs of intellectual, religious, and aesthetic elements encyclopedia britannica 2009. Boas and benedict according to franz boas, pioneer of psychological anthropology or the study of the relationship between culture and personality, personality is obtained thru culture and not biology. Ruth fulton benedict june 5, 1887 september 17, 1948 was an american anthropologist and folklorist. Ruth fulton benedict 18871948, originator of the configurational approach to culture, was a mature woman when she entered anthropology.
According to ruth benedict, deviance should be understood as a conflict between a persons personality and norms of the culture to which that person belongs. They suggested anthropologists could gain an understanding of a national culture through examination of individual personalities. Benedict ruth and cultural anthropology literary theory and. Ruth fulton benedict, 18871948, american anthropologist, b. Her major theory which had been accepted and promoted by other anthropologists like margaret mead and ruth landes is that individual personalities are determined by the cultural choices allowed by members in any society.
Ruth fulton benedict june 5, 1887 september 17, 1948 was an american anthropologist and folklorist she was born in new york city, attended vassar college and graduated in 1909. Jul 12, 2007 ruth benedicts obituary for japanese culture c. Patterns of culture by krystal dcosta on anthropology in practice. Ruth benedict 18871948, an anthropologist, argues that science forces us to accept ethical relativism. After studying anthropology at the new school of social research under elsie clews parsons, she entered graduate studies at columbia university in 1921, where. In this fascinating work, the renowned anthropologist ruth benedict compares three societies the zuni of the southwestern united states, the kwakiutl of western canada, and the dobuans. She studied the relationships between personality, art, language and culture, insisting that. Ruth benedict was an anthropologist whom focused much of her work on.
This is a personality theory textbook, with an emphasis on culture. While they were together in new guinea, mead, fortune, and bateson read a draft manuscript of ruth benedicts classic book patterns of culture 1934. His theory called cultural relativism gives a comprehensive understanding of the underlying relationship between culture and personality. Home cultural studies benedict ruth and cultural anthropology. The culture and personality movement was at the core of anthropology in the. Ruth benedict was a pioneering anthropologist who became americas leading specialist in the field, best known for her patterns of culture theory. Each culture, she held, chooses from the great arc of human potentialities only a few characteristics which become the leading personality traits of. In addition to traditional topics, chapters on eastern and religious perspectives as positive approaches to adult personality development are included. Like the functionalist schools of radcliffebrown and malinowski, culture and personality was one of the reactions against 19th century social evolutionism and diffusionism. Benedict ruth and cultural anthropology by nasrullah mambrol on may 6, 2017 0. He was known for his sociocultural theory and its impact on human development.
Most sources list her place of birth as new york city, but close friend and colleague margaret mead claimed benedict was born in a farm town in the shenango valley in upper new york state. Then, after three years of teaching, she turned to research and experimental writing about. Ruth fulton benedict, an american anthropologist 18871948, is best known for her contribution to the culture and personality school of american anthropology. They suggested anthropologists could gain an understanding of a national culture through examination of.
Her unique contribution to the study of anthropology was the theory that culture is personality writ large. Benedict, ruth 18871948american anthropologist whose research on native americans, as well as contemporary europeans and asians, made her a leading member of the culture and personality school of anthropology. This in a way is the equivalence of the people influencing the pattern and the pattern influencing the people. Culture and personality, anthropological theory flashcards. Apply benedicts concept of deviance to caitlyn jenner in the united states and the papuans in new guinea.
Ruth benedict was an anthropologist whom focused much of her work on culture and personality. Her work has provided a bridge between the humanities and anthropology, as well as background for all later culture personality studies. It explores the work of ruth benedict, patterns of culture, which focuses on three geographically and temperamentally disparate people including northwest coast american indians, the pueblo of the american southwest, and the dubo of melanesia. The emergence of a concept, by marc manganaro, is presented. In 1945, cora dubois, abram kardiner and ralph linton coauthored the book.
Benedict employs use of these cultures to demonstrate her theory of culture as personalitywritlarge. Most popular in the 1930s and 40s, psychological anthropology is exemplified by the works of american anthropologist ruth benedict, especially patterns of culture. In spite of the fact that dobuans respect little to no rules that are highly praised in the socalled civilized world, they are nonetheless certain that what. In that book benedict describes cultures as integrated wholes, embodiments of personality types. She entered the field of anthropology from a strong humanistic background and continued that throughout her work. Patterns of culture, originally published in 1934, is an anthropological text by ruth benedict. Her 1934 book, patterns of culture, offers an analysis of cultures in terms of dominant character or, as she writes, a configuration based on selection from a wide arc of. Ruth fulton benedict, renowned anthropologist, ethnographer, field researcher, and founder of the integrative approach to culture, viewed smallscale culture holistically based on a theory of cultural relativism. Her 1934 book, patterns of culture, offers an analysis of cultures in. Benedict ruth and cultural anthropology literary theory.
Culture and personality studies, branch of cultural anthropology that seeks to determine the range of personality types extant in a given culture and to discern where, on a continuum from ideal to perverse, the culture places each type. May 06, 2017 benedict ruth and cultural anthropology by nasrullah mambrol on may 6, 2017 0 american cultural anthropologist who developed what is known as the configurational approach to anthropology, exploring the way in which the diverse institutions, activities and traits of a given culture are integrated into a patterned whole or gestalt. Attributed to anthropologists ruth benedict and margaret mead, the culture and personality school of thought drew on the work of edward sapir to explain relationships between childrearing customs and human behaviors in different societies. But it was his student ruth benedict who introduced the us brand of boasian anthropology to the world via the 1934 bestseller, patterns of culture.
I had just decided to spend some time living in japan little suspecting that some time would turn out to be a big part of the rest of my life and i was delighted to discover that benedict, whose. New york times a remarkable introduction to cultural studies, patterns of culture is an eloquent declaration of the role of culture in shaping human life. Cultureandpersonality studies apply the methods of psychology to the field of anthropology, including indepth interviews, role playing, rorschach tests, elaborate biographies, studies of family roles, and dream interpretation. Cultureandpersonality studies anthropology britannica. Still, as benedict describes, dobuans manage to get through the day without producing chaos and anarchy is among the last concepts that should be related to this culture benedict 1. Anthropologists such as ruth benedict and ralph linton emphasized the wholeness of distinct cultures, a theme later revived by the. Benedict says that in order to understand another culture, you need to study it as a whole.
It examined the interaction between psychological and cultural forces at work on the human experience. Franz boas is commonly acknowledged as a founding figure in us academic anthropology. Mar 16, 2012 in her essay, benedict describes the differences in rituals, beliefs, and personal preferences between the cultures, and how these differences between diverse cultures each had their own personality that the individuals in the c ulture would adopt. Of far greater note is the fact that benedict s father died suddenly when she was still a toddler. Essential for an understanding of culture and personality. Boas student ruth benedict expounded the research on the effect of culture to personality through studying cultural various patterns and themes. Of far greater note is the fact that benedicts father died suddenly when she was still a toddler. Franz boas and many of his students such as ruth benedict argued against the views of the early evolutionists, such as louis henry morgan and edward tylor, who believe. According to ruth benedict, deviance should be understood. Her legacy is the continued emphasis on the comparative approach to culture, and values and themes which give cultures their distinct personalities. Benedict ruth benedict, boasian cultural anthropologist ound, for example, that among one group the known for her interest in the relationship between v concept of guardian spirit was associated with culture and personality. She was a student and later a colleague of franz boas at columbia, where she taught from 1924.
351 92 1320 729 487 373 699 534 1145 404 299 889 1021 248 529 63 1407 217 1089 359 323 476 71 388 215 770 519 1432 1498 936 466 61 1309