In International encyclopedia of economic sociology. Whereas rational choice theory constitutes the theoretical core of economics, it faces considerable criticism in other branches of the social and behavioral sciences. For more information or to contact an Oxford Sales Representative click here. Oxford Bibliographies Online is available by subscription and perpetual access to institutions. Also central to all forms of rational choice theory is the assumption that complex social phenomena can be explained in terms of the individual actions that lead to that phenomena. Human action that is in rational choice theory has been described as outcome of two choices. Expand or collapse the "in this article" section, Social Mechanisms and the Micro-Macro Link, Selected Applications of Rational Choice Theory, Critique and Advocacy of Rational Choice Theory, Informative Popularizations of Rational Choice Theory, Expand or collapse the "related articles" section, Expand or collapse the "forthcoming articles" section. Beliefs refer to perceived cause-effect relations, including the perceived likelihood with which an individual’s actions will result in different possible outcomes. Crime is a rational decision to violate any law and is made for a variety of reasons, including greed, revenge, need, anger, lust, jealousy, thrill-seeking, or vanity. Useful for its illustration of two variants of the theory’s “basic toolkit”: explanations assuming full information versus less than full information. 2000. Rational choice and sociology. The basic premise of this theory is that aggregate behaviour results from the behaviour of individuals, each of whom makes their own choices, based on their preferences and constraints they face. Over the years, rational choice theorists have become increasingly mathematical. It looks at society as a series of interactions between individuals. In criminology, rational choice theory adopts a utilitarian belief that humans are reasoning actors who weigh means and ends, costs and benefits, in order to make a rational choice. “Rational Choice Theory” is an umbrella term for a variety of models explaining social phenomena as outcomes of individual action that can—in some way—be construed … British Journal of Sociology 49.2: 167–192. Rational choice theory comes in many varieties, depending on the assumptions that are made concerning preferences, beliefs, and constraints—the key elements of all rational choice explanations. Two encyclopedia entries provide a very good start for acquiring an introductory general overview of the domain of rational choice theory in sociology (Lindenberg 2006, Hedström and Stern 2008). This way of thinking is called rational choice theory. Rational choice theory was pioneered by sociologist George Homans, who in 1961 laid the basic framework for exchange theory, which he grounded in hypotheses drawn from behavioral psychology. Rational Choice Theory argues that social norms are created and maintained by some people who see benefits arising from these norms; they control group behavior and … M. REDDER, RATIONAL CHOICE: THE CONTRAST BETWEEN ECONOMICS AND PSYCHOLOGY (1987) (comparing and contrasting rational choice models in economics and psychol-ogy). Arab Spring, Mobilization, and Contentious Politics in the... Ethnomethodology and Conversation Analysis. Lindenberg, S. 1985. Edited by J. Beckert and M. Zafirovski, 548–552. Since it is not possible for individuals to attain all of the various things that they want, they must make choices related to both their goals and the means for attaining those goals. this page. Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. New York: Routledge. Some sociologists' reservations about rational choice arise from a misunderstanding of the theory. The article concludes with a selection of Informative Popularizations of Rational Choice Theory of the approach: easy and stimulating reads that apply the core ideas of the approach to a large variety of phenomena. Argues that varieties of rational choice theory can be distinguished along three dimensions: the strength of their rationality requirements, their focus on situational versus procedural rationality, and their claim to be a general versus a specific theory of action. 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