Antecedent Disciplines Cultural anthropology is the intercultural field's chief antecedent discipline. Early anthropologists studied one cultural group at a time the Trobriand Islanders, for example in great depth and detail. Some current anthropologists continue this work, while others compare a variety of cultures in order to gain deeper understanding of the role of culture in human affairs. Interculturalists study what happens when members of one cultural group interact with members of another. The intercultural field sometimes is explained as being a type of applied anthropology .
Psychology is the intercultural field's other antecedent discipline.
Over the past four decades, many interculturalists have been, and still are, initially trained as psychologists. Practicing psychologists increasingly are drawn to intercultural research because, in their efforts to treat the ills of the human psyche, they've come to recognize the vast extent to which individuals are influenced by the values and behaviors shared by the members of the group in which they were raised. When a psychologist works with a patient whose native culture differs from that of his or her current community, knowledge of intercultural research findings become indispensable. Sociology, linguistics, communication, and social work are among the other disciplines that have made significant contributions to the intercultural field. This is false.