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Rational Choice Theory: Sociology
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It is important to note that rational choice in sociology does not mean the same as rational choice in consumer economics. This is so because in consumer economics one ... assumes that being rational means to be selfish. However, there are no theoretical objections to use rational choice models to explain altruistic or emotional behaviour. Even an altruist would have to chose the best possible action ; Even a person motivated by emotional hatred would chose the best action to satisfy his emotional demands. Rational choice is just a model describing how to best chose actions taking the aims as given. So, altruistic or emotional behaviour does not refute the model.
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A pioneering figure in establishing rational choice theory in sociology was George Homans (1961), who set out a basic framework of exchange theory, which he grounded in assumptions drawn from behaviourist psychology. While these psychological assumptions have been rejected by many later writers, Homans's formulation of exchange theory remains the basis of all subsequent discussion. During the 1960s and 1970s, Blau (1964), Coleman (1973), and Cook (1977) extended and enlarged his framework, and they helped to develop more formal, mathematical models of rational action (see ... Coleman 1990).
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Mr. Kiser is a rational-choice sociologist who has collaborated with Mr. Brustein on a study of war and revolt in early modern Europe. He has not read the manuscapt of Mr. Brustein's forthcoming book on the Nazi Party, but he has heard a presentation that Mr. Brustein gave on the research and has spoken with him about the project. "It combines really sophisticated theory with fine-grained data," Mr. Kiser says. "That's something rare in comparative historical sociology."
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One may expect that the rational choice model will be validated in market exchange as its original realm of application and validation. However, even in this realm the model is not necessarily superior to a multilevel sociological theory of market exchange based in economic sociology, including that of markets (Lie, 1997); on the contrary, as shown below.
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This edition of The American Sociologist brings together discussions o f one of the most contentious issues in the discipline -- the place of rational choice in sociology. The participants are six distinguished scholars, five of w hom are former American Sociological Association presidents. The contributors re flect the diversity of views in the discipline and range from quite positive to harshly critical. In this overview, I critically examine the issues that arise in the discussions and provide additional support for the position of several co ntributors who argue that even though sociologists have traditionally condemned rational choice, many have ... implicitly relied upon it as the foundation for their work.
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There is little that is more contentious in the current sociology of religion than the debate over "rational choice," "supply-side," and "new paradigm" approaches to religion. As with many academic disputes, the terms are often fuzzy (or at least used sloppily), the areas of agreement are at least as large as the areas of disagreement (e.g., so few American sociologists of religion are hard-core secularization theorists), and personalities figure as prominently as intellectual issues.
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