Rational Choice Theory

Rational choice theory of human behavior is valued for its purported ability to explain and predict behavior with relative guilelessness. The theory postulates human behavior to be rational since humans, with the faculty to reason, tend to choose what is best in terms of their self-interest. Humans employ reasoning and reflection prior to acting, and their actions routinely indicate a preference in a particular direction. Such a preference is predicated on the determination that a specific course of action is the best for the purpose of maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain. The choice is made subsequent to considering the prevailing circumstances, since choosing the best option with the promise of most rewards is conditional to it. The type of behavior opted for and the manner in which that behavior gets enacted depends on a host of factors, including social, psychological, and even biological ones.

According to the rational choice model, the secret to understanding human behavior is in knowing the elements that make up the perpetrator's decision-making process. Exposing the relevant decision-making process in the commission of an act will help unravel the mystery of human behavior. Once exposed, behavior will come to be understood as intelligible, explainable, and predictable. Normally, the context for human behavior is occurrence of a need demanding to be satisfied. The individual contemplates different courses of action by contrasting the rewards and costs involved. Generally, the one that appears to cost less and reward the most wins.

The canons of rational choice theory are reflective of the hedonistic theories of the past, dating as far back as the first millennium BCE. Epicurus (341–270 BCE), founder of Epicureanism, considered avoidance of pain and maximizing pleasure to be one of the fundamental goals in life. For Epicureans, pleasure constituted the good, and pain, the evil. Avoidance of pain was to be the mission in life—an end that humans constantly strived for by carefully weighing their options. Later echoes of the Epicurean philosophy can be found in the likes of Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) and Cesare Beccaria (1738–1794), jurists and philosophers, who applied them to the concept of deviance.

Rational choice theory first became popular in economist circles before being embraced by others in behavioral sciences such as sociology, psychology, political science, and criminology. In sociology, there are a variety of theories including differential association, labeling, social strain, control, and conflict theories that subscribe to rational choice–based explanation of human behavior. By describing deviant behavior as a case of exerting rational choice, an effort is made to transform the approach to deviance in a more humane direction. The following sections of this entry present an elucidation of the theory as applied to the concepts of deviance and deviant behavior by exploring its main tenets, strengths, and vulnerabilities.