Sociology and Anthropology are both branches of social sciences that deal with and analyze the behavior of human beings in a society. Both these fields of study are closely related as they study civilizations and human social hierarchies in depth.
Main Differences Between Sociology and Anthropology
- Sociology is the study of people living together, their behavioral patterns, and reactions, while anthropology is the study of how people have evolved in various terms over the past years.
- Sociology deals with group behavior of people and their relations with society and institutions, while anthropology analyses people at a more micro and individual level.
- The major methodology for the study used by Sociologists is Quantitative methods like survey and sampling, while anthropologists use methods like ethnography and other qualitative methods to analyze and infer.
- The main difference between Sociology and Anthropology is that sociology focuses on things at a macro-level while, anthropology does that at a micro-level.
- Sociology is more solution-oriented and tries fixing social problems, while anthropology tries to understand cultural diversities.
Conclusion
Both these social sciences study human behavior and their surroundings, but what makes a difference between them is the perspective through which they look at society. Sociology tries to understand how the world and social trends affect smaller groups like families and organizations, while anthropology studies how humans have been affected by these changing social trends and how they have evolved to cope up with it.
Anthropology focuses on the cultures and traditions of people and tries to understand how they have come to the present state, their journey of evolution, and their capacity to adapt and change. Sociology talks more about how every behavior of people are inter-related and what causes them to behave in a certain way. Hence, both of these perspectives are very important for human growth and development.
References
- https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-21619-002
- https://digitalcommons.fairfield.edu/sociologyandanthropology-books/15/
- https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/cog/ta/2005/00000010/00000001/art00002