Ruth Benedict

Ruth Benedict

Ruth Benedict’s anthropological book, Patterns of Culture explores the dualism of culture and personality. Benedict studies different cultures such as the Zuni tribe and the Dobu Indians. Each culture she finds is so different and distinctive in relation to the norm of our society. Each difference is what makes it unique. Benedict compares the likenesses of culture and individuality, “A culture, like an individual, is a more or less consistent pattern of thought or action” (46), but note, they are not the same by use of the word, “like.” Benedict is saying that figuratively, cultures are like personalities. Culture and individuality are intertwined and dependent upon each other for survival.

The Zuni’s, according to Benedict, are a culture that is very consumed with ceremony and ritual. The Zuni’s value the absence of excess, moderation, ceremony and tradition, “He keeps the middle of the road, stays within the known map, does not meddle with disruptive psychological states…even in the exaltation of the dance he ‘remains what he is, and retains his civic name” (79). This quote symbolizes the extreme devotion and belief infested in the Zuni culture. A strong sense of restraint and composure is found in the end of the quote, “even in the exaltation of the dance he remains what he is.”

The Zuni’s prize the unity of the community as a functioning whole. It is necessary in this culture to adapt to the norm of the community in order to be a successful member of society. The Zuni’s are considered to be an Appolonian society. They are group centered, a humble, modest and ritualistic society. In a culture such as the Zuni’s the individual voice can have a tendency to not be heard.

Unlike the Zuni, the Dobu value excess, imbalance, and immoderation. The Dobu are self-sufficient and self-reliant. They live in a hostile environment and wear fake smiles and only care about their own personal gain. Dobu’s will kill, cheat, and steal to get the things they want, “Behind a show of friendship, behind the evidences of co-operation, in every field of life, the Dobuan believes that he has only treachery to expect” (171). The most treacherous, deceitful, and dishonest people are the leaders in this society.

In the very different Zuni and Dobu tribes there is a common theme. The Zuni culture concentrates on the well being of community as a w...

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... to be identical; instead, they must use their differences to their advantage:

… The cultures of Zuni, Dobu.…differ from one another not only because one trait is present here and absent there…They differ still more because they are oriented as wholes in different directions. They are traveling along different roads in pursuit of different ends…(223).

Each society finds the right amount of individuality and culture that works for them. In the Zuni society, a focus on community was more prevalent. In the Dobu society, the emphasis was more self-centered. Each culture is focused on a different end; therefore their method for going about it is different in each setting.

Benedict believes that cultures are like personalities in the sense that both can individually be shaped, created, and changed. An individual takes on the values of a culture, uniting them but not joining them. To say personality is culture would take away from the distinctive character of the individual. Benedict is saying that the distinctive character exists in the culture in which they are born into. The culture does not create the personality. Instead, culture acts as the building block for the individual.