rational choice theory
Summary
Rational choice theory explains behavior as individuals weighing costs and benefits and choosing the option that best serves their own goals. Most testable point: it builds social patterns up from individual calculations (micro level), and critics say it underplays emotion and norms.
Detail
Meaning: Rational choice theory is a sociological approach that assumes people act deliberately, weigh the expected costs and benefits of their options, and choose the one that best serves their own goals. Social patterns such as markets, crime rates or voting are explained as the combined result of many individual calculations, so the theory works from the individual (micro level) up. Social exchange theory is closely related: relationships last while perceived rewards outweigh costs.
On the MCAT: A passage describes someone deciding whether to skip class, join a group or commit a crime. Pick rational choice or exchange when the reasoning is cost-benefit. Pick functionalism or conflict theory when the explanation is about social structure, and symbolic interactionism when it is about shared meanings. Questions may also ask for a weakness of the theory.
Common confusion: Rational does not mean wise or purely selfish. It means the choice fits the person's own goals and information, and those goals can include helping others. Critics note that people also act from emotion, habit and social norms, which the theory tends to underplay.
Sources
- Sociology (Macionis)
- Introduction to Sociology (Giddens et al.)
- Sociology: A Brief Introduction (Schaefer)
Written for the MCAT and checked before it was published. For study reference only. Spotted an error? Let us know.