Question

Select the followers belonging to same school of thought.
A. James Frazer
B. Ruth Benedict
C. Margaret Mead
D. A. Kardiner
Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

• A. A, B and D only
• B. A, B and C only
• C. B, C and D only
• D. A, C and D only

Hint:

Associate key figures with schools: Evolutionism (Tylor, Frazer). Historical Particularism (Boas). Culture and Personality (Benedict, Mead, Kardiner). Functionalism (Malinowski). Structural-Functionalism (Radcliffe-Brown). Structuralism (Lévi-Strauss). Grouping them this way is essential for theory questions.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Concept Overview:
The question requires identifying anthropologists belonging to the same school of thought, specifically within 20th-century American anthropology's theoretical movements.
Step 2: Detailed Analysis:
- A. James Frazer: A Scottish anthropologist prominent in 19th-century classical evolutionism. His work used comparative methods and "armchair anthropology," which later faced criticism.
- B. Ruth Benedict, C. Margaret Mead, and D. A. Kardiner: Key figures in the Culture and Personality school, prominent in American anthropology during the 1930s-1940s. Influenced by Freudian psychology, this school examined the relationship between cultural patterns and individual personality. - Ruth Benedict ("Patterns of Culture") and Margaret Mead ("Coming of Age in Samoa"), students of Franz Boas, explored culture's impact on personality. - Abram Kardiner, a psychoanalyst, collaborated with anthropologists like Ralph Linton to develop the "basic personality structure" concept, central to this school.
Step 3: Conclusion:
Ruth Benedict, Margaret Mead, and A. Kardiner are linked to the Culture and Personality school. James Frazer aligns with the earlier classical evolutionism. Therefore, B, C, and D constitute the correct group.