Psychological Anthropology

Catalog description

An introduction to the subfield of psychological anthropology. Research and inquiry in psychological anthropology is rooted in two traditions. The first is culture and personality which is aligned with psychoanalytical thought; the second is cognitive anthropology which emphasizes cultural models of thought. A fundamental pursuit in psychological anthropology is the relationship between culture, behavior, and thought. Psychological anthropology seeks to understand the relationship between individual and sociocultural phenomena - between polar extremes such as personality and mind and society and culture. Explores how culture and psyche affect each other. Topics include: theoretical frameworks; culture and personality, human development, emotion, self, and mental illness.