The culture and personality school: A questionable contribution to anthropological theory

Abstract

This paper describes how the Culture and Personality School, an important anthropological approach that arose in the 1920s, has developed over the years. In order to do this, the birth of the school, its distinctive features, and criticism that has been leveled against will be discussed. This will be briefly illustrated using Ruth Benedict's influential work "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword." We will also briefly discuss whether the Culture and Personality School really is a school. The paper concludes with the statement that the ideas presented in the Culture and Personality School are no longer fitting in the contemporary discourse of anthropology. However, contemporary anthropologists still find little inspiration in the school and it has been of great importance in the development of anthropological theory.