Ruth Benedict

The trouble with life isn't that there is no answer, it's that there are so many answers.

Summary

Ruth Benedict (1887 - 1948) was an American anthropologist.

Her work through anthropological studies concluded that there is no evidence of the existence of universal human motivations (Instincts) (see Psychological Aspects of Biodanza).

Ideas

• Benedict related the concept of culture to the psychological concept of personality,
• Just as personality determines the development of the individual, each culture contains a dominant mental pattern,
• Every culture has a system of beliefs - the ideas and standards, the institutionalised motives, emotions, and values - that enables internal coherence,
• She proposed the theory that no culture is ethically or morally superior to another.