Anthropology vs Psychology

Anthropology and psychology are two subjects in the realm of social sciences between
which a number of differences can be highlighted. Anthropology is holistic in nature and
studies everything related to man (in a cultural setting of course) whereas, psychology
confines itself to behavior of human beings and includes theories that are used to
explain human behavior. Study of the human psyche is psychology (though it includes
animal behavior at times too) whereas, anthropology is the study of human cultures in
their entirety, not just behavior. There are many more differences in anthropology and
psychology that will be explained in this arti

What is Anthropology?
Anthropology is the study of human behavior alone in different cultures. If you are
interested in human culture and its variety, anthropology is the social science that is
more suited to your interests than psychology, which is more concerned with human
behavior that takes into account both societal pressures and conformity along
with virtues and odd behaviors that are found in varying degrees in different individuals
living in the same society. Unlike Psychology, Anthropology keeps idiosyncrasies within
wraps and talks about human cultures in a more generalized manner.
Anthropology is a much larger field of study in comparison to psychology, which is
confined to human behavior only. Anthropology studies not just human behavior in
societies but also, physical features of different cultures, archeology, linguistics and
cultural developments in different human cultures. One area of study in cultural
psychology comes very close to psychological anthropology and the distinctions
between the two subjects blur to the extent of being almost similar. Another field of
study known as Social psychology explains human behavior in groups and societies,

and it is very close to social anthropology, where we understand human behavior on the
basis of social interactions.

What is Psychology?
Psychology is the scientific study of mental processes and behavior of human
beings. In some ways, psychology complements the study of anthropology as the
insight gained into human behavior helps in explaining cultures. Though human
behavior is greatly influenced by society, there are human traits that are not uniformly
found such as aggression and other idiosyncrasies. These behavioral traits have no
connection with societal behavior and are dependent upon genetics and circumstances.
The way people behave in their interactions with other individuals varies in different
cultures, and a comparative and cross-cultural study of human behavior in anthropology
takes us closer to psychology that is better explained through evolutionary biology.
One major difference between psychology and anthropology lies in the fact that
psychology confines itself to mental processes of both humans and animals whereas,
anthropology is the study of human behavior alone in different cultures. Psychology
deals with mental faculties like cognition, perception,emotions, personality, interpersonal
relationships, and how these mental processes affect human behavior in a positive or
negative manner. Psychology, though sometimes it tends to generalize, is more
individualistic in nature whereas, anthropology keeps idiosyncrasies within wraps and
talks about human cultures in a more generalized manner.
There are more powerful factors at work to influence human behavior than just societies
and cultures and are reflected by more priests and religious persons serving prison
sentences than atheists and agnostics. Lie, deceits, sex, violence, aggression and
behavioral idiosyncrasies take a combined and cross-disciplinary study approach and
need a parallel study of both anthropology and psychology to be better able to
understand such phenomenon.

2. Sociology

vs Psychology

The difference between Sociology and Psychology is that sociology is the study of
human behavior in groups while psychology is the study of the individual humanmind.
To be more elaborative, Sociology deals with the study of the origin, development and
functioning of human society. On the other hand, Psychology is the science that deals
with mental behavior. It studies the way the brain functions. This is the main difference
between Sociology and Psychology. Through this article let us examine the differences
between the two fields of study.

What is Sociology?
Sociology is the study of the communities and the way they are influenced by sources
from outside. Auguste Comte is considered as the father of Sociology. Karl Marx, Max
Weber, and Durkheim are considered the holy trinity of sociology mainly due to their
contribution to the growth of the discipline. The researcher in Sociology observes the
people and then records their behavior. Sociologists analyze people by using surveys
too.
Other than these, there is a wide range of methods and techniques that can be used for
research purposes such as interviews, observation, case studies, experimental method,
etc. Sociology establishes the relationship between the group and the individual. The
individual acts according to the nature of the group he is in. Sociology is all about the
effect of a group of people on an individual or another group for that matter. In
Sociology, there are a large number of perspectives. These allow the sociologist to
comprehend the society in different points of view. Some of these perspectives are the
functionalist perspective, conflict perspective and symbolic interactionism.

Auguste Comte

What is Psychology?
In simple words, one can say that Psychology is the study of the human mind. It
includes the study of human emotions. However Sociology, on the other hand, is more
concerned about the classification of human societies. Wilhelm Wundt is considered the
father of psychology, mainly because he formed the first experimental laboratory in the
world. Psychology is experimental in its study whereas Sociology is observational in its
study. A psychologist experiments in the laboratory to collect data. Psychology believes
that everything about the person is caused by the individual in him. Psychology is a
study of the workings of the human mind. It examines the reasons why people think and
behave as they do. The need of the subject of Psychology is because people felt the
necessity for an examination of the thoughts and actions of an individual.

Wilhelm Wundt

What is the Difference Between Sociology and Psychology?

Definitions of Sociology and Psychology:
Sociology: Sociology is the study of communities
Psychology: Psychology is the study of the mental processes and human behavior.

Characteristics of Sociology and Psychology:

Focus:
Sociology: In Sociology the focus is on the human society.
Psychology: In Psychology, the focus is on the mental processes and behavior of the
individual.
Relationship:
Sociology: Sociology establishes the relationship between an individual and a group.
Psychology: Psychology examines the reasons why people think and behave as they
do.
Field of study:
Sociology: The field for Sociology is the society.
Psychology: The field is mostly a laboratory

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