Rational Choice Theory: do we make decisions logically?

A very influential theory related to Psychology, Sociology and Economics.

Rational Choice Theory (RCT) is a proposal that arose in the social sciences, applied especially to economics, but which has been transferred to psychology, sociology and economics. applied especially to economics, but which has been transferred to the analysis of human behavior. RET focuses on how an individual carries out the action of 'choosing'. That is, it asks about the cognitive and social patterns through which an individual directs his actions.

In this article we will see what Rational Choice Theory is, how it arises and where it has been applied, and finally we present some criticisms that have been made recently.

• Related article, "Are we rational or emotional beings?"

What is Rational Choice Theory (RCT)?

Rational Choice Theory (RET) is a school of thought based on the proposition that. individual choices are made according to individual personal preferences..

Thus, SRT is also a model for explaining how we make decisions (especially in the economic and political context, but also applies in other contexts where it is important to know how we decide on actions and how this affects the larger scale). Rational" generally refers to the fact that the choices we make are consistent with our personal preferences. are consistent with our personal preferenceslogically derived from them.

What is a rational choice according to SRT?

A choice is the action of selecting one among several available alternatives and conducting our behavior in accordance with this selection. Sometimes, choices are implicitsometimes they are explicit. That is, sometimes we make them automatically, especially if they correspond to basic needs or to maintaining our integrity or survival.

Explicit choices, on the other hand, are those that we make consciously (rationally) according to what we consider to be in our best interests. what we consider to be the most appropriate option for our interests..

The proposal of SRT, in very broad terms, is that human beings choose in a fundamentally rational manner. That is, based on the ability to think and imagine the possible side effects of the alternatives we have before a decision and from there select the alternatives that are the most appropriate for our benefit at that time (under a cost-benefit logic).

The latter would also imply that human beings are sufficiently independent, and we have enough capacity to generate emotional self-control, so that there are no variables other than our own reason when making decisions.

Where does it come from?

The Rational Choice Theory is usually associated with an economic paradigm (precisely because it helped generate the cost-benefit calculation model). Nevertheless, it is a theory through which many other elements that give many other elements that shape human behavior and societies can be understood..

In the context of the social sciences, Rational Choice Theory represented an important theoretical and methodological transformation. It arose mainly in the American intellectual context during the second half of the twentieth century and in reaction to welfare economics models.

In the area of political science, SRT criticized much of the prevailing paradigms within the U.S. academic context, which was subsequently transferred to the analysis of the disciplines of psychology and sociology. In the latter, SRT asks about the implications of self-interest, self-experience and intentionality for human action and research. That is to say, it is interested in methodological individualism.

Broadly speaking, it is a "Critique of the excess of mathematical narcissism versus the demands of realism that social science should have". Thus, Rational Choice Theory has been an attempt to orient social disciplines towards rigorous practices and knowledge.

Do we make decisions "rationally"? Some criticisms of RET

Some problems that have been generated is about the use, sometimes intuitive, of the word "rational". Vidal de la Rosa (2008) argues that for SRT, human behaviors are merely instrumental and that the cultural context is what determines the alternatives on which we can decide, then behaviors would also be predetermined by culture..

Likewise, the polysemy of the word "rationality" makes it difficult to use it as a basis for social theory, since it is difficult to homogenize and this makes it difficult for researchers to establish communication among themselves, and then to put knowledge into practice in society.

In the same sense, "rationality" can easily be confused with "intentionality", and SRT does not usually address the difference and relationships between implicit and explicit choices. For some years now, the latter has been has been investigated in laboratory experiments. Some of these investigations analyze the different cognitive and environmental variables that can affect a supposedly rational decision.

Finally, methodological individualism has been criticized, i.e., it has been questioned whether interest is the motive for behavior. whether interest is the motive for behaviorand, therefore, whether this interest is valid as a form of scientific knowledge.

Bibliographical references:

• Encyclopedia Britannica. (2018). Rational Choice Theory. Retrieved June 1, 2018. Available at https://www.britannica.com/topic/rational-choice-theory.
• Vidal de la Rosa, G. (2008). Rational Choice Theory in the social sciences. Sociology (Mexico). 23(67): 221-236.
• Staddon, J.E.R. (1995). Schedule Combinations and Choice: Experiment and Theory. Mexican Journal of Behavior Analysis, 21: 163-274.