Compare and contrast the American approach to anthropology through Essay

Compare and contrast the American approach to anthropology through 'Culture and Personality' with the approach of the British 'Functionalist School' - Essay Example It has been observed that there are usually four parts or sections of Anthropology that includes Archaeology, Physical, Linguistics and Cultural anthropology. The idea of four-field anthropology mainly emerged from the United States and European continent. Cultural anthropology mainly relates to the advancement of the American culture during the early 19th century. American anthropologist often seeks to comprehend about how people in the American society intended to understand and appreciate the world around them. On the other hand, the approach of the British Functionalist School differs with the Americans especially in terms of studying the culture and anthropology of the society2. Contextually, this particular essay intends to present a comparative analysis about the approach of the Americans to anthropology on the basis of the culture and personality with that of the approach or thinking process of the British Functionalist School. Culture and personality forms a core part of the subject area of anthropology especially in context to the American way of thinking for this particular subject. This particular aspect of personality mainly deals with the approach of comprehending the relation amid the personality traits of individuals with that of his/her cultural significance. In the process of understanding the interlink amid culture and personality within the American process of thinking, certain ideas such as cultural pattern and personality traits are provided with utmost importance. Erik Erikson and Ruth Benedict were among the pioneer leaders who worked towards understanding the approach of the American anthropology in the domain of personality and culture3. The American approach to anthropology mainly includes gaining knowledge from the textbook about past culture as well as personality and interlinking the same with the assumptions and theories developed by numerous scholars for this particular subject matter. However, this