Final answer:
Psychology focuses on the inner workings of the mind and behaviour, while psychological anthropology combines psychology and anthropology to understand how culture and society shape human psychology. Psychological anthropologists' study broader aspects of the human experience, including cultural impacts on behaviour and the relationship between culture and the brain.
Step-by-step explanation:
Differences Between Psychology and Psychological Anthropology:
The key difference between psychology and psychological anthropology centers around the focus of study. Psychology primarily deals with the study of the mind and behaviour emphasizing on individual mental processes and development. In contrast, psychological anthropology is a subfield of anthropology that combines the methods and theories of psychology with anthropology to understand how cultural and societal influences shape human psychology and behaviour.
While psychologists delve into the inner workings of the mind, such as mental health and emotional processes, psychological anthropologists aim to understand human behaviour by looking outward. They explore how social institutions, cultural norms, and interactions impact mental processes. Anthropologists also look at the broader scope of human experience, including how communities interact with their environment and utilize plants, as demonstrated in the field of ethnobotany, and how different strategies for making a living have been shaped by environmental conditions and cultural practices.
Comparatively, psychological anthropology provides a more holistic view of the human experience, considering both the influence of society and biology on human behavior. It is interested in both past and present aspects of humanity, investigating topics like the development of culture, the evolutionary history of humans, and the relationship between culture and the brain.