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: Understanding the Concept:
The question asks to identify a group of anthropologists who belong to the same school of thought. This requires knowledge of the major theoretical movements in 20th-century American anthropology.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
- A. James Frazer: He was a Scottish anthropologist and a leading figure of 19th-century classical evolutionism. His work is characterized by the comparative method and armchair anthropology, which was later heavily criticized.
- B. Ruth Benedict, C. Margaret Mead, and D. A. Kardiner are all central figures in the Culture and Personality school of thought, which flourished in American anthropology in the 1930s and 1940s. This school, heavily influenced by Freudian psychology, explored the relationship between cultural patterns and individual personality formation. - Ruth Benedict (author of "Patterns of Culture") and Margaret Mead (author of "Coming of Age in Samoa") were students of Franz Boas and focused on how culture shapes personality. - Abram Kardiner was a psychoanalyst who collaborated closely with anthropologists like Ralph Linton to develop the concept of "basic personality structure," a core idea of this school.
Step 3: Final Answer:
Ruth Benedict, Margaret Mead, and A. Kardiner are all associated with the Culture and Personality school of thought. James Frazer belongs to an earlier and distinct school (classical evolutionism). Therefore, B, C, and D form the correct group.