Do Anthropology and Psychology overlap? Sometimes I can't distinguish them?

Question

For instance, are the following assignments related to Pyschology or Anthropology:

1-Study the effect of religion on humans.

2-Romantic love as a cultural invention.

I'm very much interested in those subjects.

I want to be able to distinguish the two majors, so I can know which one to choose. I like to study how a man interacts with his culture, and what effect it has on him.

Answer 1

Yes, many sciences overlap. Some good examples are mathematics and physics, and chemistry and biology.

You can distinguish anthropology from psychology by keeping in mind that anthropology studies "humans" with the main focus on understanding different cultural norms, noting differences/similarities, and psychology studies "behavior" with the main focus on individual actions, thoughts and controlling disorders.

"Study the effect of religion on humans," sounds more like psychology, or even sociology.

"Romantic love as a cultural invention," sounds more like anthropology.

It sounds like you might want to look into sociology, another overlapping field of study that focuses on current society and human social interaction that shares commonality with psychology. Anthropology has more invested in primitive culture and archeology.

Answer 2

I have a master's degree in psychology.  It sounds like you're more interested in psychology.

Answer 3

Anthropology is the study of man - his past, culture etc.  Psychology is the study of man's mind.  It is inevitable that the two will overlap.

One example of overlap is the field of Primatology.  Non-human primate behavior is studied for it's own merit but also to give us clues to the development of man.  Consequently both Anthropology and Psychology departments at a university may deal with this.  Studies of child development and primate development are often handles by both.  Linguistics is a sub-field of Anthropology.  Language acquisition studies are also done in Psychology departments.

The two examples you give have an historical as well as psychological dimension.  Therefore, both disciplines would apply but in subtly different ways.  Anthropology would study the effect of religion on humans in an historical context.  Psychology may use a Jungian approach (check out Joesph Campbell).  Anthropology would d study romantic love as a cultural invention and link it to shared family wealth, procreation of species, and political context.  Psychology might approach it from the point of view of satisfying an individual need.

Answer 4

The overlap is called 'evolutionary psychology'. Evolutionary psychology

is the natural-selective effect of a particular environment on psychological

traits.

Answer 5

They both sound like anthropology to me..

but what you wan to study can also be sociology I believe